The team of Department members and Health Care Agency staff who worked to establish the Crisis Stabilization Unit in the Intake Release Center’s Module L were honored Thursday. They were recognized for their efforts by the presentation of the Health Care Agency/OCEA Labor-Management Committee’s Team Excellence Award.

The annual Steve Ambriz Team Excellence Award was created to recognize teams that exemplify principles of Enlightened Leadership and Team Excellence in creative and collaborative action and to identify the qualities and characteristics of effective work teams. 

The Crisis Stabilization Unit opened on October 2, 2006 with the mission to provide accessible, quality acute mental health care to the severely and chronically mentally ill within the Orange County Central Jail Complex. It is the fourth such unit in the state. An increasing number of mentally ill are being committed to the Criminal Justice System. Some mental health experts say that jails and prisons are the new mental hospitals in our country. Other agencies that worked to establish the unit included Public Defenders, County Counsel, Behavioral Health, The Mental Health Association, Public Administrator/ Public Guardian, Patient Rights, and Superior Court.

Sherri Curl,  Administrative Manager for Corrections Mental Health said creating the unit was a formidable task. More...