JACKSON COUNTY, Ore. – Providence Oregon visited the United Way of Jackson County Monday to get an update on the Mobile Crisis Response Pilot Program.
Jackson County’s Mobile Crisis Response Team has been handling mental health crisis calls since the early spring.
The program is designed to have trained mental health professionals respond to mental health crises instead of law enforcement.
Providence gave $400,000 to the United Way of Jackson County last September to help the program get started.
“The idea that we can alleviate some of the stress from the police system and pull people out of mental health crises that don’t involve police intervention I think is really important,” Director of Community Health Investment at Providence, Joe Ichter said. “We see a lot of evidence from mental and behavioral health providers that it’s the right direction to go.”
Jackson County Mental Health said the program has been successful so far.
Right now, they are actively trying to expand but need more funds to make it happen.
The next phase in growing the program would be expanding hours to include weekends.
Rick Rawlins with Jackson County Mental Health said his vision is to eventually partner the program with dispatch to provide another channel for dispatch officers to call on.
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