Maricopa County is investing $2.56 million into a new pilot program to expand behavioral health services. This pilot program will make Connections Health Solutions the second provider of Court-ordered evaluations in the County. Court ordered evaluations are designed to help people who are unwilling to or incapable of providing consent to receive behavioral health services.
$1.52 million will go to Mercy Care and Connections Health Solutions for direct care of patients. A little over a million will fund functions within the Maricopa County Attorney’s Office, Maricopa County Courts, and the Office of the Public Advocate so that they can offer virtual hearings for people experiencing a mental health crisis that need court-ordered-evaluation and in some cases court-ordered-treatment.
"Getting mental health support to folks who need it benefits the entire community," said Supervisor Bill Gates, who co-chairs the Mental Health Task Force. "But our county task force found that sometimes people who need mental health evaluations are not seen in a timely fashion and end up being released without treatment. That's not safe for them or the community. By adding another provider, we can complete more court-order evaluations and decrease the chance of someone slipping through the cracks."
“For 15 years Connections has served Maricopa County, providing 24/7 behavioral health crisis care and treatment to any person in need,” said Joel Conger, Arizona Market President for Connections Health Solutions. “With this pilot program, and in partnership with Maricopa County and Mercy Care, we are excited to be able to expand our services and increase access to help even more members of our community receive high-quality care and treatment.”