Sheriff Changes Up Addiction and Mental Health Services

 "'The problem that we were having with our medical and mental health vendor is that they were unable to staff fully -- and in fact there were dangerous circumstances where there was sometimes no staff or very little staff ... "

 — Donna Buckley

Barnstable County Sheriff

What did the Sheriff do with medical, mental health, and addiction services?

During her first year in office, Barnstable County Sheriff Donna Buckley changed the way the office delivers addiction and mental health services.  Based on gaps in performance and a challenging labor market, the new sheriff pivoted to an in-house mode, hiring clinical staff directly.

What changed for addiction and mental health services?

Several years ago the Sheriff's Office joined the outsourcing trend and turned medical, mental health, and addiction services over to outside vendors. This experiment ultimately did not work as well as expected and during her first year in office Sheriff Buckley returned the model to direct employment. Gaps in staffing that created potentially dangerous environments provided the trigger for the change.

What kinds of clinical staff does the Sheriff's Office hire?

The Sheriff's Office is one of the largest employers on the Cape. It hires a range of clinical professionals including doctors, RNs, LPNs, counselors, and more. The clinical staff provides direct services as well as supporting programmatic  efforts.  By hiring directly, the office can offer more competitive salaries and benefits, supporting staffing in a tight labor market.

Why are health, mental health, and addiction services important?

Sheriff Buckley says offering these services plays a key role in supporting inmate rehabilitation and preventing future crime - thereby supporting overall community health. The majority of people who end up in the Barnstable County system have addiction and/or mental health issues and these often played a role in the criminal activity. While inmates pay the prices for what they did, the office also wants to ensure that when they complete their sentence and return to society, the inmate does not repeat their actions --  and health, mental health, and addiction treatment help address this.

For more information:

• Barnstable County Sheriff employment page
• Red Nun Talks Podcast - Conversation with Barnstable County Sheriff Donna Buckley