Substance Use and Mental Health

Allegheny County’s Involuntary Hospitalization (302) Program
The Allegheny County Department of Human Services (DHS) conducted a study of the involuntary hospitalization program in the county. Involuntary hospitalizations occur when an individual undergoing a psychiatric episode is […]

Improving Prioritization of Housing Services: Implementation of the Allegheny Housing Assessment (AHA) and the Mental Health Allegheny Housing Assessment (MH-AHA)
Making good, informed decisions about how to allocate limited resources is an ever-evolving process. The Allegheny County Department of Human Services (DHS) strives to make the most equitable decisions when […]

Allegheny County Opioid Settlement Projects
Overview: Beginning August 31, 2022, Allegheny County received its first payment related to the settlement of litigation against manufacturers, distributors, and associated consultants for the opioid industry. Together, the litigation settlement will […]

Frequent Utilizers of Services in Allegheny County
What are these reports about? Nationally and locally, policymakers and practitioners are interested in the people who frequently use publicly funded services, particularly crisis services. Most people who use crisis […]

Improving Crisis Prevention and Response
Researchers and public representatives met to address challenges that persist throughout our crisis system. They developed a set of 16 recommendations.

Accidental Overdose Deaths: Interactive Dashboard and Report
This report and dashboard describe accidental overdose deaths that occurred in Allegheny County, with a look at trends in numbers of deaths, demographics, and substances involved.

A Behavioral Health and Criminal Justice Cross-System Evaluation: Findings and Recommendations
Throughout the United States, people experiencing behavioral health challenges are overrepresented in the criminal justice system and Allegheny County is no exception. To better understand the state of our current […]

Value-Based Contracting within the Allegheny County HealthChoices Behavioral Health System
One way that Allegheny County promotes the provision of high quality behavioral health services is through value-based contracting (VBC), which pays providers of behavioral health services based on quality of […]

Suicide Data, 2002–Present: Interactive Dashboard
This dashboard displays information about County suicide trends since 2002

Allegheny County Suicides, 2008–2017: Data Brief
Suicide rates have been rising in nearly every state in the U.S. in recent years, and in Pennsylvania and Allegheny County, suicide rates are higher than the nation’s. This data […]

Locations of Substance Use and Mental Health Treatment Facilities in Allegheny County: Interactive Dashboard
This dashboard provides information on licensed substance use disorder and mental health treatment providers in Allegheny County as of August 2018.

Naloxone Distribution in the Allegheny County Jail to Prevent Overdose: Data Brief
In 2016, the Allegheny County Jail began offering naloxone, a life-saving medication that rapidly reverses opioid overdose, to people exiting the jail. Since then, the jail has distributed over a […]

The Journey into Allegheny County’s Substance Use Disorder Treatment System
People struggling with unhealthy drug or alcohol use sometimes face challenges when it comes to accessing treatment. Research has found that lack of insurance, unfamiliarity with treatment options, a shortage […]

Annual Reports of the Consumer Action Response Team (CART)
The Allegheny County Consumer Action Response Team (CART) gathers feedback from consumers of publicly-funded behavioral health services, which include mental health services and drug and alcohol treatment for adults, children […]

Mental Health Involuntary Commitment: Interactive Dashboard
An involuntary commitment, also known as a 302, may occur when an individual is exhibiting symptoms of mental illness that are unmanageable and may result in danger to themselves or […]