Memo: From Crisis Response to Harm Prevention - The Role of Integrated Service Facilities
By Rafik Nader Wahbi MPH, PhD student UCLA Fielding School of Public Health Research Associate, Health in Justice Action Lab, Northeastern University, Sterling Johnson JD, MA, Board Member, Angels in Motion; Black and Brown Workers Cooperative, and Leo Beletsky JD, MPH, Professor of Law and Health Sciences and Director, Health
in Justice Action Lab, Northeastern University; Associate Professor (Research), Division of Infectious Disease and Global Public Health, UC San Diego School of Medicine
Executive Summary
As things stand, many interactions with crisis response systems in the United States result in a trip to jail or an emergency room. Both of these options are costly, inefficient, and often result in the same people coming back again and again.
There is a better way: Integrated Service Facilities (ISFs) can provide an effective, less costly, and more sustainable alternative. These facilities bundle assistance for substance use, mental and behavioral health, housing, and other health, legal, and social needs. Open 24/7 and free to use, ISFs can mitigate an unfolding crisis and triage vulnerable people into longer-term systems of care. What sets ISFs apart from existing emergency response systems, however, is that they also make it their core mission to prevent crises from happening in the first place. As the United States continues to grapple with over-reliance on expensive and ineffective crisis response, ISFs provide a critical piece of a better response and prevention system.
The ISF model is a common-sense solution, so it is no surprise that it receives broad bipartisan support across the nation:
58% of likely voters support having ISFs in their community.
53% believe that ISFs would save taxpayer resources in the long run.
56% percent of likely voters said they would vote for a politician promising to create ISFs.
52% support prioritizing resources for ISFs over police and prisons, including 36% of all Republicans that responded.
58% would vote for a ballot measure to allocate public funds to create ISFs.
