Mental Health Coordinator

Position Overview

The Mental Health Coordinator position works under a judicial officer’s supervision to provide exceptional customer service for individuals who have been civilly committed to the Court; to provide support with treatment providers, hospitals, social services, ADAMHS, and other behavioral health professionals; to coordinate with law enforcement officers and other justice partners; and to provide other case management support for the Magistrates and Judge. This position reports to an assigned Magistrate.

Summary of Job Duties

Monitors mental health (civil commitment) cases, in coordination and collaboration with Magistrate, case management specialist, hospitals, outpatient treatment providers, social workers, law enforcement officers, and ADAMHS, and in compliance with Ohio Revised Code, Ohio Rules of Civil Procedure, and other legal authority.

Maintains contact with hospitals, outpatient treatment providers, family members, ADAMHS, law enforcement officers, NAMI and other agencies regarding status of individuals on Assisted Outpatient Status (AOT) status; provides detailed instructions and information regarding the AOT process as needed.

Reviews AOT Referral Forms forwarded to the Court by the Board; handles preparation of AOT forms for review conferences, including AOT Agreement Forms, AOT Handbooks, HIPAA compliance forms, and information releases; reviews treatment plans, incident reports, and status reports and prepares the Court report for each AOT review conference; attends AOT review conferences and prepares real-time notices for individuals regarding their next conference.

Manages fillings and workflow by utilizing the case management system and maintains accurate hard-copy records for mental health cases; tracks discharge notices and outpatient commitment notifications; monitors treatment settings for committed individuals and contacts the board regarding necessary motions for more/less restrictive settings; notifies and follows up with outpatient providers regarding the filing of intake appointment reports, treatment plans, and thirty-day status reports; receives reports from providers prior to scheduled review conferences and reviews for completeness, consistency, and appropriateness; prepares orders to submit required documentation when said documents are not received.

Organizes and facilitates the Mental Health Collaboration and Innovation Team meetings including setting bi-monthly meetings of the stakeholders, communicating with stakeholders, finalizing agendas, reserving facilities and catering meals for meetings.

Maintains the Court’s mental health calendar regarding the scheduling of AOT conferences, status conferences, status hearings, and other court activities.

Fields communications from law enforcement agencies and hospitals regarding current commitment status of individuals and coordinates with agencies and ADAMHS boards to develop an appropriate response.

Organizes virtual review conferences with state hospitals for Montgomery County residents returning (discharged) for outpatient commitment; works with state hospitals, ADAMHS other county probate courts and outpatient treatment providers to transition individual back into the community and onto outpatient status.

Notifies prosecutor, defense attorneys, and or criminal court regarding changes in commitment status, change to voluntary status, and/or termination of commitment for individuals committed through the process outlined in O.R.C. 2945.38.

Receives and enters information regarding AOT into the Court’s databases; tracks incident reports, especially hospitalizations and police interactions; notifies the Court when an individual had a disruption in their life that may lead to nonadherence; convenes with outpatient providers, Magistrate and Justice Coordinator to develop appropriate interventions for individuals who are nonadherent to treatment and/or medication.

Coordinates with attorneys on the Court’s list of appointees to provide counsel for indigent respondents for hearings; notifies provider agencies regarding conferences and hearings; prepares and distributes hearing schedules; coordinates, prepares and distributes notices for hearings; coordinates with court investigators when personal service is needed.

Informs Magistrate of requests for emergency evaluation; researches and provides detailed information regarding the individual’s status; prepares conveyance orders, orders for evaluation and other related orders; coordinates with law enforcement and hospitals regarding transport and evaluation of individuals.

Collects significant data to assist the Court in the decision-making process when reviewing an individual’s probate status and contributes to ongoing assessment of level of participation in services and risk of harm; works with agencies, ADAMHS, and Magistrate on a case-by-case basis to determine when cases are appropriate for termination and/or graduation from the AOT program.

Advises agencies regarding upcoming deadlines for applications for continued commitments on individuals; prepares and sends reminder letters to the ADAMHS board one month before said applications are due.

Ensures that the civil rights of all committed individuals are protected; accommodates requests by individuals to avoid stressors and triggers; handles requests for full hearings on continued commitments made by individuals; follows Ohio Revised Code regarding confidentiality and privacy of committed individuals.

Provides quality assurance and reporting services for the Court regarding all mental health cases, including, but not limited to, preparation of standard and non-standard reports and ensures that all information in the Court system database is complete and accurate.

Participates in the Assisted Outpatient Steering Committee meetings, Treatment Advisory Meetings, and other appropriate community groups and organizations; provides updates and suggestions as needed.

Conducts an annual review of all open mental illness cases to ensure compliance with statutory requirements set forth in the Ohio Revised Code, Ohio Rules of Superintendence, and other legal authority.

Aides colleagues in the Court when necessary due to scheduling, volume, or staffing requirements, including open mental health cases when the Case Management Specialist is unavailable.

Other duties as assigned.

Minimum Qualifications and Requirements

Bachelor’s Degree in Law Enforcement, Social Work, Psychology, Education, Special Education, or other first responder or human services related field; or at least (4) years in a related field.

Valid Ohio Driver’s License.

Experience working in a court, legal, or first responder setting preferred.