May is Mental Health Month, a time for increased awareness of mental health conditions and treatment. Local governments have an important role to play in the mental health of their communities and the Knowledge Network features several case studies and resources from cities and counties showing leadership in addressing their citizens’ mental health. 

• In 2008, Fort Collins, Colorado, won the ICMA Community Partnership Award for its partnership of over 35 government, religious, medical, community, and other organizations dedicated to addressing area mental health challenges. This partnership has succeeded in coordinating formerly separate activities and improving the delivery of essential mental health services for thousands of citizens. You can find the award recognition article in the Knowledge Network’s document library, which also features Fort Collins’s description of their partnership.
• A program in Larimer County, Colorado (which partnered with Fort Collins), saved taxpayers $150,000 by treating criminal offenders with mental health disorders in a program that avoided incarceration. See the article here.
• Similarly, Dubuque, Iowa, was nominated for ICMA’s awards program in 2005 for its efforts to provide treatment alternatives to incarceration. Find the program’s measurable outcomes and lessons learned in Dubuque’s award nomination.
• The San Antonio Police Department’s Mental Health Detail has a similar goal, and its efforts have saved lives and reduced expenses. Its 2008 and 2010 award nominations are also on the Knowledge Network.
• Catawba County, North Carolina, developed its Family Nurturing, Education, and Treatment (N.E.T.) program in response to a new state policy that disrupted the provision of mental health services for hundreds of children in foster care. Read how Family N.E.T. closed gaps in care here.
• A program report form from Montgomery County, Maryland, helps the department of health and human services track and evaluate the outpatient mental health services administered by contractors.

Remember to browse the Knowledge Network’s topic pages on Health, Public Health, Human Services, or Public Safety for more information. And if you have a great example of mental health services in your community, submit it to the Knowledge Network so that others can learn from your experience.