WORKGROUP UPDATES MENTAL HEALTH NCTTRAC Board of Directors’ Chair, Jorie Klein, recognized the need for routine, committed discussion aimed at mental health issues in our region. On February 27, 2018, the Mental Health Work Group was established. The work group’s mission is to form a collaboration of mental health professionals working toward enhancement of mental health care in the 19 counties of Trauma Service Area (TSA)- E. The work group identified that the most common need for improvement across the region is the process of obtaining an Order of Protective Custody (OPC) for mental health patients. After surveying the region to determine common OPC related problems, results revealed that the most problematic issue was the availability of a judge or magistrate to approve an OPC. Other common problems included long wait times for available inpatient treatment, Emergency Department (ED) congestion due to holding mental health patients, most importantly, the work group found that the process to obtain an OPC varies significantly from judge-to-judge and county- to-county. Therefore, the main focus will be working toward standardizing and developing guidelines for the OPC process in our region. The Mental Health Work Group is continuing to collaborate with Peace Officers, EMS agencies, EDs, and mental health facilities to improve the mental health care system. If you would like to participate in the Mental Health Work Group, please contact us at EHS2@NCTTRAC.org. ACTIVE THREAT This year the NCTTRAC Board of Directors approved the formation of an Active Threat Workgroup to identify and make available resources that will assist individuals and agencies prepare for an Active Threat situation. NCTTRAC Staff is developing a web page to provide educational resources for communities, corporations and individuals. The web page will also hold available After-Action-Reports from historical incidents that may serve as reference material in preparedness efforts. 10