Dane County Accepted into National Association of Counties’ Familiar Faces Leadership Network to Expand Data-Sharing Efforts across Behavioral Health and Justice Systems

July 28, 2022
Colleen Clark-Bernhardt
County Board

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT:

July 28, 2022 Colleen Clark-Bernhardt

Criminal Justice Council Coordinator

Dane County Accepted into National Association of Counties’ Familiar Faces Leadership Network to Expand Data-Sharing Efforts across Behavioral Health and Justice Systems

Dane County, WI—July 28, 2022 – Announced today, Dane County is joining a select group of local officials as the inaugural cohort of the National Association of Counties’ Familiar Faces Leadership Network for their commitment to improving life outcomes for high-needs residents with complex behavioral health conditions.

The Familiar Faces Initiative (FFI): Improving Outcomes through Coordinated Health and Justice Systems was launched in May of this year by the National Association of Counties to support and empower communities to share data between health and justice systems and coordinate care options for individuals with complex health and behavioral health conditions who frequently cycle through jails, homeless shelters, emergency departments and other crisis services.

Dane County’s Criminal Justice Council has led Dane County in efforts to improve life outcomes for residents who have become familiar faces to county services and providers and has joined this Network to strengthen and expand Dane County’s ability to share cross-system data to identify familiar faces and align systems to improve outcomes for the highest-need residents.

“Dane County has already built a robust data sharing infrastructure spanning most of our justice system partners. We are eager to learn strategies and best practices from other communities to help us leverage these resources to produce positive outcomes for those who, for a variety of reasons, find themselves in frequent contact with our justice or health care systems,” said Dane County Clerk of Courts Carlo Esqueda, Chair of the Dane County Criminal Justice Council.

As a participant of the Familiar Faces Leadership Network, Dane County will engage with fellow elected officials from across the country who are building similar efforts in their jurisdictions. They will participate in peer site visits to communities with model data-sharing practices and receive technical assistance from FFI Advisory Board members.

Local leaders participating in this network represent jurisdictions ranging in size and geographic location from the City of Issaquah, Wash., which has a population of 38,000, to Contra Costa County, Calif., with a population of 1.2 million. To see a full list of local officials participating in the Leadership Network and find out more about the Familiar Faces Initiative, visit familiarfaces.naco.org.

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ABOUT THE FAMILIAR FACES INITIATIVE

Led by the National Association of Counties (NACo) and funded by Arnold Ventures, the Familiar Faces Initiative supports communities in building and share data and integrate care options between health and justice systems so they can intervene earlier, improve outcomes and reduce incarceration and hospitalization rates. Data-sharing allows communities to identify people who need help and connect them with the right services to address behavioral health needs and, ultimately, break the cycle of justice system involvement and hospital usage. For more information visit https://familiarfaces.naco.org/.

The 13 member Dane County Criminal Justice Council is a collaborative body created in Dane County ordinance to collaborate and improve public safety, racial equity and data-driven decisions. For more information: cjc.countyofdane.com