Montgomery County, PA

   The correctional facility has established a partnership with Correctional Medical Care and Montgomery County Mental Health/Mental Retardation to accomplish a team approach for planning and working with mental health clients who are identified and incarcerated in the Montgomery County Correctional Facility. The facility electronically communicates all inmate admissions to  Mental Health/Mental Retardation so they may identify those recieving mental health services. This innovative and new approach involves the assessment, planning, identification and coordination of community resources. The program also provides for the involvment of multiple county and community providing agencies. These agencies are:

       Montgomery County Emergency Services

       Penn Foundation Inc.

       Northwestern Human Services

       Central Montgomery County Health/Mental Retardation Center

       Creative Health Services

    Each agency has defined roles to meet the needs of the clients. This team approach also involves information sharing among Judges, attorneys, adult probation and mental health professionals. The correctional facility administration also provides specialized training for custody and treatment staff through mental health agencies.  

   Our unified goal is to insure that all Mental Health clients who meet the criteria for the Office of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services Target Population and are at Montgomery County Correctional Facility will have their treatment and community support needs met. The goal is that through this collaborative process all of "The Target Population^” Mental Health clients will leave the prison with a community support plan. Additionally we hope this process will assist the Montgomery County Correctional Facility staff in their efforts to provide care for their Mental Health clients.

   The process represents an aggressive change in how we are working to support these individuals. It is a team approach which has the community mental health providers taking a proactive role in planning for incarcerated mental health clients. The process redefines the role that Montgomery County Emergency Services has historically provided for this group. Montgomery County Emergency Services will now be in the role of utilizing their forensic expertise in a collaborative planning process with the community mental health providers. The process also outlines a change for the staff at The Montgomery County Correctional Facility. It provides then the opportunity for The Montgomery County Correctional Facility clinical staff to identify the mental health needs of their clients and make recommendations to community mental health providers. The county OHM is defined as having an active role in this process as well. County staff will provide a level of coordination and monitoring to ensure that the clients’ needs are being met. The process will also include Probation Officers so that they can be involved in planning for mental health clients on their caseloads.

   This new procedure is based strongly on a team approach which includes input from all members involved. We believe this collaborative effort to be very much in line with the recovery principles that are guiding the services provided to mental health clients in  Montgomery County.

     Doctor Antonio Gonzalez, Ph.D.                  

     Agonzale@montcopa.org

     William Anastasia, Forensic Case Worker       

     Wanastas@montcopa.org

     Assistant Warden Dennis Molyneaux                       

      Dmolynea@montcopa.org

      Michael Gordon, Director Inmate Services              

      Mgordon@montcopa.org

Mental Health, Mental Retardation/Drug and Alchohol/Behavior Health Department liason to the Montgomery County Correctional Facility is Thomas Costello  Tcostello@montcopa.org