THE HARRIS CENTER FOR MENTAL HEALTH AND IDD
“ The biggest thing that drives us is our mission , which is to transform the lives of people with behavioral health and IDD needs ” WAYNE YOUNG CEO , THE HARRIS CENTER FOR MENTAL HEALTH AND INTELLECTUAL AND DEVELOPMENTAL DISABILITY
The next phase is to expand the program so that around 200 tablets are made available to Harris County ’ s law enforcement officers and first responders . Young explains why this next phase is important : “ Law enforcement want to do a good job and they understand the mental health implications , but they sign up to be police officers , not mental health counsellors . How we leverage our expertise , and make that expertise available to them , is critical .”
“ Sometimes there ' s a safety component – there are times when law enforcement responds to mental health calls and there are outcomes that are less than desirable . One quarter of police-involved shootings are linked to mental illness , half of which occur in the person ’ s own home . So it ’ s thinking about how we provide them with the tools to deal with these situations and have a safe outcome for both the officer and the individual that ' s the subject of the call . Ultimately we want to get them care and support , as opposed to an arrest or being put in jail .”
The program ’ s elements are HIPAAcompliant , and they ’ ve leveraged the
EXECUTIVE BIO
WAYNE YOUNG
TITLE : CEO INDUSTRY : HOSPITAL & HEALTH CARE LOCATION : TEXAS
Wayne Young is the Chief
Executive Officer of The Harris Center for Mental Health and IDD , the state-designated Local Mental Health Authority and Local Intellectual and Developmental Disability Authority for Harris County , Texas . As the CEO of one of the largest behavioral health organizations in the nation , Wayne is passionate about the planning and delivery of large-scale behavioral health and intellectual and developmental disabilities services to a population who rely upon safety net systems of care . Wayne previously served as the chair of the Texas Health and Human Services Commission Behavioral Health Advisory Council and was recently appointed to the Texas Judicial Commission on Mental Health . In 2019 , Wayne was honored to have been named to Modern Healthcare ’ s list of Top 25 Innovators and to have received the Charley H . Shannon Advocate for Justice Award from NAMI Texas .