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Abstract: 

Lee County, Florida is a rapidly growing community with a significant number of transient individuals. The Lee County Jail continues to report a significant increase in the number of individuals incarcerated who have a mental illness. In response to these demographics, the local community mental health center, the Ruth Cooper Center, formed the Forensic Mental Health Advisory Council, which is a comprehensive and influential group of stakeholders with the common goal of improving systemic barriers to increasing diversions and effectively using community resources. The Ruth Cooper Center developed a Diversion Program which aims to divert individuals with serious mental illnesses from incarceration and guide them towards treatment. This article outlines the planning, implementation, and future plans for this program.

Keywords: mental health programming

Affiliations:  1: Lee Mental Health, Inc.