SAMHSA–Sponsored Webinar: Getting Help After Arrest and Jail

Jun 11, 2015

For 17 years, Rochester's Forensic Assertive Community Treatment (R-FACT) program has been helping people with mental illness get their lives back on track after an arrest or time in jail. The program makes the proven Assertive Community Treatment (ACT) model of comprehensive care available to people who are involved in the justice system, addressing both mental health and legal problems.

R-FACT is designed to address the needs of individuals who have cycled repeatedly through jails, emergency departments, homelessness and other costly services. One topic that is brought up during the webinar in the cross section of criminal justice and mental health is privacy laws like HIPAA. Dr. Steve Lamberti recommended a U.S. Department of Justice Bureau of Justice Assistance report Information Sharing In Criminal Justice-Mental Health Collaborations: Working with HIPAA and Other Privacy Laws to learn more.

This webinar took place June 19. Watch the webinar or download the slides to learn about this important program. Dr. Lamberti and Dr. Robert Weisman are co-founders of Community Forensic Interventions, LLC, a resource for those interested in bringing R-FACT to their community.

Speakers

Steve Lamberti, MD. Dr. Lamberti is Professor of Psychiatry at the University of Rochester Medical Center and is Director of the Severe Mental Disorders Program where he oversees research, education, and treatment for schizophrenia and related disorders. Dr. Lamberti's career is dedicated to developing new treatment and rehabilitation strategies for adults with schizophrenia and other severe mental disorders, especially those at risk for repeated hospitalization, arrest and incarceration. For their work with in developing the R-FACT model, Dr. Lamberti and his colleagues received the 1999 American Psychiatric Association’s Gold Award, the 2002 New York State Community Health Improvement Award, and the 2009 NAMI New York State Program Award.

Robert Weisman, DO. Dr. Weisman is Associate Professor of Psychiatry at the University of Rochester Medical Center and is Medical Director of Strong Ties Community Support Program, and Director of Clinical Care for Project Link and the New York State ACT/FACT team serving mentally disordered offenders in the community. Dr. Weisman has special expertise in developing community-based treatment approaches for high-risk offender populations living with mental illness, and for promoting public safety through violence prevention training initiatives. He has presented internationally and written on community and pharmacologic management of mentally ill offenders, and on assessment of violence risk within this population.

Abigail Timberlake-McCormick, M.S. Ms. Timberlake-McCormick is a therapist on the R-FACT team at the University of Rochester Medical Center. Her twenty-one year career at the University of Rochester has focused on providing person-centered care to adults with severe mental illness living in the community. Her practice is based on assisting individuals to learn to advocate for themselves and/or assisting them to find additional advocates to reduce social injustices. Ms. Timberlake-McCormick also serves as the R-FACT team’s lead court liaison, where she works in partnership with court staff to engage clients with community resources including housing, entitlements, family supports, and spiritual supports.