Supporting Proactive Outreach to People at Risk of Behavioral Health Crises

Fellows: Núria Adell Raventós, Fabian Dablander, Juan Luque, Victoria Ritvo
Data Science Mentor(s): Liliana Millán
Project Manager: Erika Salomon
Project Partner: Douglas & Johnson Counties (Kansas)

Douglas and Johnson Counties in Kansas are experiencing an increase in the number of suicides and overdose cases and deaths in their communities.  As a consequence, the mental health agencies for both counties have been exploring the use of additional, proactive, mental health services to tackle these issues. The challenge they now face is in identifying the individuals who need the support and can benefit from it. We are partnering with the two counties in Kansas to use behavioral health-related data – including patient interactions with ambulances, mental health centers, and emergency rooms – to help them design a system that identifies people at high risk of having a behavioral health crisis to inform proactive and preventative interventions. With this information, both Counties could allocate resources that can reach people most in need of mental health services, prevent deaths due to suicide and overdose, and improve health outcomes for their residents in an equitable manner.