Two participants successfully graduated from the Yolo County Mental Health Diversion Court earlier this week.
With Judge Janet Gaard presiding over the graduation, Jason McGrath and Anthony Fusaro both celebrated their accomplishment alongside key members from their team that assisted them on their journey in Yolo Superior Court on Wednesday.
“Multiple speakers today spoke about the amazing changes they have seen in both participants,” stated a press release from the Yolo County District Attorney’s Office. “One speaker was so grateful for the program and the difference it had made for Anthony that she urged the other participants to continue on the journey and get well. Both Jason and Anthony thanked the team for all the help.”
Launched in 2021, Mental Health Diversion Court is a groundbreaking initiative aimed at addressing the needs of individuals with mental health disorders in which their behavioral health issues were a significant factor in the commission of their criminal offenses. The program was started by Public Defender Tracie Olson and former Yolo County Chief Deputy District Attorney Jonathan Raven, who identified an underserved population who didn’t quite fit into the county’s two other specialty courts, Mental Health Court and Addiction Intervention Court.
The program was established to support individuals who do not require as intensive treatment as those who qualify for Mental Health Court but with the same intent to increase treatment engagement, enhance public safety and reduce recidivism, hospitalizations, and incarceration.
The Mental Health Diversion program operates on a minimum one-year court-based treatment and monitoring system for adult offenders. The program accomplishes this by supporting their participation in community treatment, be it substance use treatment, mental health counseling, medical health treatment, getting identifications or driver’s licenses, and any number of other issues that arise through the process.
The program is a collaborative effort between the District Attorney’s Office, Public Defender’s Office, Probation Department, Sheriff’s Department, the courts and CommuniCareOLE Health Centers. Program requirements include maintaining sobriety, being medication compliant if appropriate, attending all required appointments and court hearings and writing reflective essays for each of the four phases to be completed.
At the end of the event, Judge Gaard presented both McGrath and Fusaro with their certificates of completion.
