Police and firefighters in the city of Maricopa now have support when responding to calls involving mental health issues.
The National Alliance on Mental Illness says more than 2,700 communities across the country have crisis intervention team programs. In Maricopa, a mobile response team from Honor Health and Wellness will work alongside first responders.
In a city-produced video, Police Chief James Hughes said the focus is on saving lives, “We don’t wants someone who is suffering from a medical condition or emotional condition to be arrested. That further victimizes the family, it drains resources and it’s not what we’re trying to do here in the Maricopa Police Department.”
The alliance on mental illness says 2 in 5 incarcerated adults have a history of mental illness and 7 in 10 youth in the juvenile justice system have a mental health condition.
Maria Johnson, crisis and outreach services director for Honor, described how the mobile teams will work, “We gather information, look at what supports are available, resources and either recommend higher level of care or leave them in the community but provide follow up services to connect them to outpatient services, medical care, whatever the identified need is.”
Police and fire expect the program will allow them to focus more on their primary and expertise.
The alliance says 257,000 adults in Arizona have a serious mental illness and nearly 2.8 million Arizonans live in a community without enough mental health professionals.
