Van buren county mental health court expansion & enhancement - the van buren county mental health court (MHC) expansion & enhancement project seeks to expand participants' access to treatment &…

The Department of Health and Human Services Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration awarded Van Buren County Offices (doing business as Circuit Court) $399,999 on September 30, 2026, to expand and enhance the Van Buren County Mental Health Court under the Center for Substance Abuse Treatment Projects of Regional and National Significance program (CFDA 93.490).

The award funds expansion of participants' access to treatment and recovery support services for non-violent, high-risk individuals 18 years or older with co-occurring substance use and mental health disorders under the jurisdiction of Van Buren County Circuit Court. The mental health court will screen and assess individuals for substance use disorders, co-occurring disorders, primary and behavioral health conditions, trauma, and criminogenic risk; screen for infectious diseases; and provide coordinated case management and integrated evidence-based treatment services. The project targets 225 individuals over the five-year funding period (45 per year) in Van Buren County, a rural area in southwest lower Michigan with approximately 77,000 residents.

Performance occurs in Paw Paw, Michigan, with the funding period running through September 29, 2031. The award aligns with four project goals addressing SAMHSA's strategic priorities in treatment access, quality improvement, recovery-oriented systems, and workforce strengthening.

Van buren county mental health court expansion & enhancement - the van buren county mental health court (MHC) expansion & enhancement project seeks to expand participants' access to treatment & recovery support services. Furthermore, the program seeks to increase the MHC team's capacity to meet participants needs as well as monitor the degree to which the program operates with fidelity to the model and is achieving the stated goals/objectives. The geographic service area is van buren county, which is a rural county in southwest lower michigan with a population of ~77,000 residents. A total of 225 individuals will be served during the 5-year funding period (45 individuals per year). The MHC serves non-violent, high-risk/high-need individuals 18 years or older under the jurisdiction of van buren county's circuit court (misdemeanor & felony level) whose criminal conduct is rooted in an underlying CO-occurring substance use and mental health disorder. Among MHC participants served to date, the age range was 18-69 years. 98.1% had a CO-occurring disorder & the most often reported substances of use were marijuana (31.2%), methamphetamine (27.9%), alcohol (22.7%), heroin/opioids (7.7%). In terms of mental health disorders, 30.8% had ptsd, 23.9% had bipolar without psychosis, 22.0% had major depressive disorder, 12.6% had general anxiety disorder, & 9.4% had persistent depressive disorder (PDD). At the time of program enrollment, 68.5% had unstable housing & 59.5% were unemployed. There are 4 goals associated with this project all of which align with samhsa's strategic priorities. Goal 1 - expand participants' access to treatment services. Objective 1A) screen & assess individuals for SUD & COD, primary & behavioral health conditions, trauma, & criminogenic risk/need. Objective 1B) screen individuals for infectious diseases for which those with suds are at high risk. Provide participants with coordinated case management services (objective 1C) & integrated evidence-based treatment services (objective 1D) informed by screening & assessment results. Objective 1E) provide participants with access to family counseling. Objective 1F) provide male participants with criminal thinking programming through the facilitation of moral reconation therapy (MRT) & female participants with moving on. Objective 1G) provide participants with parenting classes through facilitation of the parenting inside out - community (PIOC) curriculum. Objective 1H) facilitate trauma services through the delivery of seeking safety (for women) & helping men recover (for men) curricula. Objective 1) provide participants with access to FDA-approved medications (as needed). Goal 2 - expand participants' access to recovery support services. Objective 2A) provide participants with recovery support services informed by screening & assessment results. Objective 2B) provide participants with peer recovery support services through meetings with a dedicated peer recovery support specialist (PRSS). Objective 2C) provide participants with transportation assistance to/from program requirements. Objective 2D) provide participants with overdose reversal education & naloxone administration training. Provide participants in need with recovery housing (objective 2E) & hygiene products (objective 2F). Goal 3 - increase the capacity of the program to meet the needs of participants. Objective 3A) provide training opportunities for team members (e.g., all rise annual meeting & peer-to-peer learning site visits). Ensure the team is able to respond appropriately to participants' needs through the administration of drug/alcohol testing (objective 3B) & conducting home visits with law enforcement (objective 3C). Goal 4 - ensure the program is operating with fidelity to the model & achieving stated goals/objectives. Conduct spars intake & follow-up interviews (objective 4A), analyze data & disseminate reports to stakeholders for continuous program improvement (objective 4B), & submit required semi-annual samhsa reports (objective 4C).