Boone County News Release

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Boone County Earns Two 2023 Missouri Association of Counties County Achievement Awards

December 6, 2023 –Boone County has earned two 2023 Missouri Association of Counties (MAC) County Achievement Awards. The awards were presented on November 20 at the 2023 MAC Annual Conference in Osage Beach, Mo. Only five of these awards are presented each year.

The MAC County Achievement Awards recognize county programs that are innovative, unique, and easily replicable. To be considered, applicants must provide an overview of their program, including the problem the county was facing, the solution the program provided, the budget used to support the program, and the results of the program.

The Boone County Office of Emergency Management earned a County Achievement Award for its submission “Making Preparedness Personal,” which shared the Boone County Ready community preparedness campaign launched in March of 2022. The Boone County Ready campaign aims to enhance community preparedness, foster collaboration, and build individual and community resilience by engaging citizens in actively preparing for emergencies and disasters. Through a combination of outreach and proactive communication, Boone County Ready has made an impact on both individuals and communities and, as an ongoing campaign, continues to increase the preparedness, resiliency, and community collaboration throughout Boone County.

A group comprised of representatives from the Boone County Jail, Court Administration, Prosecuting Attorney’s Office, and Public Defender, as well as community members, earned a County Achievement Award for its submission “Jail Mental Health Staffing.” This submission described an ongoing initiative to obtain proper mental health treatment for detainees of the Boone County Jail. Every two to three weeks, the Jail Mental Health Staffing group meets to share information regarding detainees exhibiting symptoms of mental health issues, bringing these concerns to the attention of the Public Defender’s Office and the Prosecuting Attorney’s office. Prior to the creation of the Jail Mental Health Staffing group, an effective way to share this information did not exist. As a result of this group’s collaboration, detainees are more likely to receive mental health treatment, to have a 552 competency evaluation request filed in a timely manner, and/or to have their case suspended while they are directed to community treatment or the 13th Circuit Mental Health Treatment Court. The Jail Mental Health Staffing group is also utilizing the data gathered through this work to advocate with local legislators for ways to reduce the wait times detainees experience when waiting for treatment by the Department of Mental Health.

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