Joint Committee on Access and Forensic Services

The Department of State Health Services established the Joint Committee on Access and Forensic Services in accordance with S.B. 1507, 84th Legislature, Regular Session, 2015.

The purpose of the committee is to provide customer/consumer and stakeholder input to the Health and Human Services system in the form of recommendations regarding access to forensic services within the state of Texas. The JCAFS considers and makes recommendations to the Legislature consistent with the committee’s purpose.

Recommendations to the Legislature regarding access to forensic services include:

  • Monitoring the implementation of updates to the bed day allocation methodology for allocating to each designated region a certain number of state-funded beds in state hospitals and other inpatient mental health facilities for voluntary, civil and forensic patients.
  • Implementing a bed day utilization review protocol, including a peer review process.
  • Planning for the coordination of forensic services.

Members

Bill Alsup
Texas Municipal League
Richardson

Rick Bailey
County Judges and Commissioners Association of Texas
Cleburn

Shannon Carr
Austin Area Mental Health Consumers, Inc.
Austin

Jonathan Caspell
Texas Municipal League
Lubbock

Sherri Cogbill
Texas Department of Criminal Justice
Austin

Stephen Glazier
Texas Hospital Association
Houston

Anna Gray
Behavioral Health Advisory Committee
San Antonio

Windy Johnson
Texas Conference of Urban Counties
Austin

Jolene Rasmussen
Behavioral Health Advisory Committee
Austin

Shelley Smith
Texas Council of Community Centers
Big Spring

Jimmy Sylvia
County Judges and Commissioners Association
Anahuac

Sally Taylor
Texas Hospital Association
San Antonio

Dennis Wilson
Sheriff’s Association of Texas
Groesbeck

Meeting Dates

Meetings will be held at the HHS campus. Information to access the meeting can be found on the agenda posted on the HHS Events webpage.

October 18, 2023
January 17, 2024
April 30, 2024
July 17, 2024
October 16, 2024

For More Information

Email the Joint Committee on Access and Forensic Services.

Reports and Presentations

Note: These files are in PDF format unless otherwise noted.