By Tréa Lavery
masslive.com
WORCESTER, Mass. — Worcester’s crisis co-response pilot program launches this week, sending mental health clinicians, case managers and peer educators alongside police to mental health and substance-related emergencies, the city announced Wednesday.
The Mental Health Community Mobile Crisis Response Pilot Program, funded by the city and developed by Community Healthlink, will dispatch crisis teams to de-escalate emergency situations, stabilize clients and connect them with local mental health and substance use resources.
“As we begin the new crisis response program with the city of Worcester, I’m encouraged by and thankful for the collaboration and support we’ve experienced with the Worcester Police Department, city leaders, and the Crisis Response advisory committee,” said Community Healthlink Interim President Gordon Benson in a press release. “Together, we are building the program the right way to deliver equitable and effective care to respond to people in crisis. I believe this is a transformational program for the city, and CHL is proud to be a part of it.”
During the pilot program, CHL teams will work out of the organization’s headquarters on Jacques Avenue from 3 to 11 p.m. Teams will respond to emergency calls in a limited number of geographic areas centered around Worcester Fire Department’s South Division on Southbridge Street and the Park Avenue fire station.
Dispatchers taking 911 calls will determine whether to send Community Healthlink teams, which might be sent on their own or alongside police, firefighters or emergency medical services. If only CHL clinicians are dispatched, police will also be notified in case assistance is needed, and each member of the team will be equipped with a cell phone and panic button.
Police officers will also be able to request a crisis team if needed when responding to a call.
“We are thankful to Community Healthlink for their leadership in developing this program,” said City Manager Eric Batista. “Not only did they create an inclusive, equitable model for service, but they also made sure to include all members of the community in the process of developing the program. We strongly believe this program will help improve the efficacy of response to and treatment of individuals in our city who are experiencing crisis.”
The crisis co-response pilot program was originally scheduled to begin on June 1, but Batista told the Worcester City Council last week that it had been delayed in part due to changes in leadership at Community Healthlink.
Community Healthlink, which is operated by UMass Memorial Health, was selected by the city in May 2022 as its partner for the co-response team. The city’s 2022 budget included $1 million for developing the program. The organization announced last month that it had appointed Dale Kline as senior director of crisis co-response and Kevin McCarthy as consulting lead clinician of the program.
The organization offers physical and mental health services to more than 22,000 people in Central Massachusetts annually.
In April, Community Healthlink announced that it would temporarily suspend admissions to its Detox, Passages and Thayer Transitional Support Services programs and lay off 80 employees. The move came after an inspection by the Massachusetts Bureau of Substance Addiction Services.
Last week, the Worcester City Council urged Community Healthlink to reopen the three programs, saying that they were vital to many people dealing with substance use and the closure was hurting the community.
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