Crosspoint Celebrates Completion of Behavioral Health Diversion Unit

SAN ANTONIO — On June 14, Crosspoint Inc. hosted nearly 100 community leaders at a ribbon-cutting ceremony celebrating the completion of the company’s new Behavioral Health Diversion Unit in San Antonio. Among the community leaders were numerous elected officials, including guest speakers Criminal District Attorney Nico LaHood and Bexar County Judge Nelson Wolff.

Bexar County Judge Nelson W. Wolff (left) and Bexar County District Attorney and Crosspoint Advisory Board Member Nico LaHood (right) with Crosspoint’s Board Chair Ryan Pierce (right of Judge Wolff) and Crosspoint’s President/CEO Dr. Kevin Downey (left of Nico).

The ceremony marked the completion of a planning effort that began in 2014.  Crosspoint leadership and the board of directors forged a strategy and design that included input from the Director of Bexar County Judicial Services Mike Lozito, Director of the Department of Behavioral and Mental Health Gilbert Gonzalez and then-County Sheriff Susan Pamerleau, among others. During the ceremony, the 23 contractors who worked on the renovation were honored for donating $130,000 of their project labor.

The unit will initially house 35 male and female non-violent offenders with diagnosed behavioral health conditions diverted from incarceration, with a capacity to expand to 56 beds. Typically, these individuals are denied bond and remain incarcerated because their untreated behavioral health issues make it unlikely they will return to court. Over the course of 12 months, more than 2,400 arrestees in Bexar County fell into this category and were held in the Bexar County Jail solely to ensure their next court appearance. An affordable solution is to divert these individuals into supervised housing with embedded behavioral health treatment.

The availability of community-based residential care in lieu of jail time has the potential to substantially reduce recidivism and the costs associated with incarceration while increasing public safety and supporting recovery in the individual.