The 93rd District Court has announced several program changes to the Eastern Upper Peninsula Regional Mental Health Court (EUPMHC), beginning with a change in leadership.
The program coordinator position has been filled by Abby Burton following the resignation of Karen McDougle in May. “Abby has been with the court and served in a number of roles for several years,” said District Court Judge Mark Luoma, “most recently she served as a probation agent in the MHC program. Her training and experience as well as specific program knowledge will be an asset to her knew leadership role with the MHC Team.”
The District Court filled the MHC Probation Officer position that was vacated by Burton accepting the program coordinator position by hiring Marissa Rochefort. “Marissa brings a level of eagerness and empathy that makes her an excellent candidate to work in a specialty treatment court setting. Our goal is to address the underlying mental health concerns that lead to a defendant having repeat contact with the criminal justice system. She will be a great resource for our program participants,” said Luoma.
Other program changes this year include the removal of Chippewa County from the regional program. Chippewa County was able to grow their participant numbers to levels that exceeded the resources of the regional program. District Court Magistrate/Court Administrator David Maddox says this was a positive step. “They were able to take and expand on what we started, at a certain point it doesn’t make fiscal sense to deploy resources from a court to a county 120 miles away when they could easily sustain a stand-alone program. Judge Blubaugh, Court Administrator Tina Ojala, Probation Agent Phil Ferroni and their team built a great program and we are proud of their work and accomplishments. They are able to better serve program participants locally and we wish them continued success.”
Currently the EUPMHC which is comprised of Alger, Luce and Schoolcraft County is completing its certification process with the State Court Administrator’s Office (SCAO). District Judge Mark Luoma also serves of the Board of Directors of the Michigan Association of Treatment Court Professionals and places a high value on the certification process. “It’s critical that our treatment courts meet and exceed evidence based best practices laid out by the Michigan Supreme Court. Our team believes that standardization of specialty courts and utilizing the fundamental sciences of addiction and mental health recovery is essential.” Currently EUPMHC staff has completed their audit by the State and is in the process of preparing budgets for next fiscal year’s operating grant.
For more information regarding the Eastern Upper Peninsula Regional Mental Health Court, please contact Program Coordinator Abby Burton at (906) 341-3631 or eupmhc@schoolcraftcounty.us
PHOTO L-R: EUPMHC Coordinator Abby Burton, Judge Mark E. Luoma, EUPMHC Probation Agent Marissa Rochefort
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