Alachua County is recognizing the national “Stepping Up Day of Action” by participating in a Town Hall on Thursday, May 16, 2019, from 8:30 a.m. to 10 a.m., at the Gainesville Police Department's Hall of Heroes (545 N.W. 8th Ave, Gainesville). At the Town Hall, the County will highlight its activities and plans toward achieving the Stepping Up mission (reducing the number of people with mental illnesses in the County jail and improving outcomes for the County's most vulnerable residents). The event is open to the public, and refreshments will be served.
Speakers at the Town Hall include the Honorable Judge of the Eighth Judicial Circuit of Florida Denise Ferrero, Alachua County Sheriff Sadie Darnell, Alachua County Commissioner Robert Hutchinson, Meridian Behavioral Healthcare Forensic Programs representative Alan Paulin, Gainesville Police Department Chief Tony Jones and Lieutenant Victoria Young, Department of Children and Families representative Leah Vail Compton, Alachua County Court Services representatives Stuart Wegener and David Johnson, and National Alliance on Mental Illness representatives including Terrie Mullin and Lloyd Boulet. Consumers of mental health services will also share their perspectives.
Stepping Up is a national initiative led by the National Association of Counties, the American Psychiatric Association Foundation, and The Council of State Governments Justice Center. Stepping Up provides counties with a framework and tools for creating a collaborative, system-wide plan to reduce the number of people with mental illnesses in county jails (in ways that not only improve public safety but promote positive outcomes for individuals with mental illnesses, their families, and their communities).
More than 475 counties across the country have passed resolutions or proclamations to join Stepping Up, including Alachua County.
View the Stepping Up Day of Action with Town Hall flyer.
Find out more about the Stepping Up Initiative.
For more information, contact Alachua County Criminal Justice Liaison Stuart Wegener at 352-548-3708 or swegener@alachuacounty.us.