A new state report with a “negative tone” led to a cordial State House conversation Thursday about the state’s six mental health crisis centers and how to best judge their impact and make improvements moving forward.
Alabama has spent $175 million on the crisis centers since 2021 when the first was launched, but a preliminary analysis by the Alabama Commission on the Evaluation of Services says a lack of consistency in data reporting makes it difficult to determine their effectiveness.
“Although Crisis Centers largely follow the recommended guidelines, the Department of Mental Health has deficient strategic control, which leads to a lack of accountability,” the report says. “To determine the effectiveness of Crisis Centers and the impact on the communities they serve, better and more consistent data collection is necessary.”…