Cherokee PATH PATH (Partnership for Assistance, Treatment & Health) to better divert adults, children, and youth experiencing mental health crises - Highland Rivers CSB d.b.a. Highland Rivers Behavioral Health (HRBH) in partnership with the Cherokee Sheriff’s Office and the Georgia Statistical Analysis Center (GASAC) will create co-response crisis teams, Cherokee PATH, to better divert adults, children, and youth experiencing mental health crises from jail and/or unnecessary higher level of inpatient care in Cherokee County Georgia. Located just north of the metro Atlanta, Cherokee County is the 8th largest county in Georgia, and one of the fastest growing, with the population increasing by 20% from 2010 to 2019. The eighth most populous state, Georgia’s population has grown by 8.7% during the same time period. By 2050 the population of Cherokee is projected to be 401,622, a 52.8% increase. . Currently, Cherokee County has a 44.72% Medicaid penetration rate indicating increased rates of saturation within the market. In addition, opioid drug overdose deaths have nearly tripled over ten years in Georgia, increasing from a death rate in 2009 of 5.8 per 100,000 (456 deaths) for all opioids to 9.7 (1,007 deaths) in 2017. The opioid-involved death rate in Cherokee for 2020 was 18.8 per 100,000 compared to 17.7 for Georgia, with overdose emergency department (ED) visits at 85.2 per 100,000 to 111.8 for Georgia. Additionally, Cherokee has one of the largest Veteran populations in the state, representing 7% of the county’s population. The county also has the 3rd highest homeless veteran population. HRBH is expanding its effective co-response program into Cherokee County to divert adults, children, and youth experiencing mental health crises from unnecessary higher levels of inpatient care in Cherokee County Georgia. Cherokee PATH (Partnership for Assistance, Treatment & Health) is a co-response partnership that pairs a licensed mental health clinician with a uniformed Cherokee County Sheriff’s Department officer to respond to 911 calls involving individuals in a behavioral health crisis. To enhance Georgia’s state-wide mobile crisis response, Highland Rivers Behavioral Health will expand its co-response program to divert adults, children, and youth experiencing mental health crises from jail and/or unnecessary higher levels of inpatient care in Cherokee County, the following goals and objectives will be used to organize and evaluate the proposed program implementation. Objectives include: creating two co-responder units within Cherokee County, increasing 24/7 access, and data implementation strategies that set up systems needed to be effective with the newly established data program. HRBH intends to serve 75 unique individuals in year 1, 150 in year 2, and 300 in years 3 and 4 for a total of 825.
