St. Louis County Prosecutor Wesley Bell is moving nonviolent addiction and mental health issues out of the courts and into treatment, where individuals can recover and become productive again. And he has many partners standing with him, representing medical facilities, community organizations and businesses.
The Bell Plan, announced Tuesday, January 8 at his first press conference as prosecutor, was an overview of current issues, partnerships and future goals to expand the capacity of St. Louis County’s diversion programs and alternative courts in order to reduce criminal activity by addressing addiction and mental illness.
“Currently, only a tiny fraction of the cases in St. Louis County are referred for addiction and those in need of mental health care and treatment, but programs of this type have been very successful in other jurisdictions that prioritize these efforts,” Bell said.
“The principal behind this idea is simple: when nonviolent offenders receive treatment, they are less likely to reoffend, which can break the cycle of escalation that so often starts with addiction or mental illness and ends with violent crime or death by drug overdose.”
In 2017, one out of every 65 deaths in Missouri was from opioid overdose. In the past two years in St. Louis County, he said, opioid overdose has killed nearly three times as many people as homicide.
He said the Bell Plan will make St. Louis County safer for everyone, while reducing the prison population and freeing resources to work on violent crimes that immediately impact public safety.
Several organizations have already agreed to partner with Bell’s office in this effort to move targeted offenders from courts to treatment.
Alan Freeman, president and CEO of Affinia Healthcare, said among its ambulatory substance use services is comprehensive medication-assisted treatment.
“Our MAT program involves a 10-day, intensive, outpatient treatment period, which includes medical visits, family support sessions and individual counseling,” Freeman said. “FDA-approved medications are combined with behavioral health therapies to provide a comprehensive approach to treatment in a primary-care setting.”
Bell said Dr. Kendra Holmes, vice president and COO of Affinia Healthcare and the deputy chair of his transition team, is leading the way with this new diversion program.
Darryl Jones, director of community engagement and partnerships at the Urban League of Metropolitan St. Louis, said the 33 programs of the Urban League will all be offered as resources for individuals in these diversion programs.
“These are the changes that are needed, and these are the changes that are going to help us live up to the potential that we all know this community has,” said Jones.
Matt Harbaugh, president of Specialty Generics at Mallinckrodt Pharmaceuticals, said when they were approached about supporting the Bell Plan, they were excited about the opportunity to take part in a visionary program that will make a difference in our community.
“Simply put, we believe the Bell Plan will make St. Louis both safer and more prosperous,” Harbaugh said. “We support this effort for the real benefit it can provide those impacted individuals, allowing access to treatment designed to get them on their feet and become productive members of our community.”
Other community partners include Better Family Life, Places for People, Jewish Community Relations Council, St. Louis Integrated Health Network, Fathers Support Center, Soul Fischer Ministries, National Council for Alcoholism and Drug Abuse and the St. Louis County Department of Public Health.
“We hope that the leadership shown by these community partners will inspire others to step up and join them in supporting our progress toward a safer St. Louis,” Bell said.
Chris Krehmeyer, president and CEO of Beyond Housing, said this program could make a difference in the lives of people struggling with addiction and substance abuse.
“How we move the county forward is investing in people who live here, investing in the problems and struggles that people have, because we know how to solve all these things,” Krehmeyer said. “I applaud Prosecuting Attorney Bell for moving forward, being proactive, being aggressive. It sure feels like the dawn of a new day.”
