- Indianapolis, Indiana. City leaders unveiled the Clinician-Led Community Response program this week, a new mobile crisis response team—composed of a clinician, licensed social worker, and a peer specialist—that “will respond to mental health-related calls in the city in lieu of law enforcement,” Sarah Nelson reported for the Indianapolis Star. Indianapolis Mayor Joe Hogsett lauded the launch of the new program: “A health crisis is best dealt within the healthcare system, rather than the legal system.” The CLCR teams will begin responding to mental health-related 911 calls for service in July.
- South Carolina. South Carolina’s successful statewide mobile crisis response team—composed of clinicians working from 16 mental health centers across the state, responding to mental health calls for service 24/7—received $3 million in grant funding to help expand the effort by adding peer support specialists to the team of first responders, Tara Jabour reported for Charlston’s local ABC affiliate, WCIV. “Evidence has shown that incorporating these peers with expertise, that have gone through a crisis, are really able to connect with someone in crisis and build that rapport…” and makes the team effort even more effective, the state’s Mobile Crisis Program Manager, Stacee Rowell, told the news station.
