Cleveland is taking proactive steps to improve its emergency response to mental health crises by adding mental health clinicians to its dispatch center. With a $550,000 federal grant and additional contributions from the Cleveland Foundation and the city, the initiative has now surpassed $800,000 in funding.
The program, called “Connect and Protect,” will be rolled out over three years. The planning phase will take place in year one, followed by the addition of two clinicians in year two and three. The goal of this initiative is to better identify mental health crisis calls and provide appropriate support to callers.
The clinicians in the dispatch center will be able to de-escalate situations over the phone, potentially preventing unnecessary police responses to low-level mental health crisis calls. They will also be able to provide callers with mental health resources and help dispatchers identify the most appropriate response for each crisis call. Additionally, all dispatchers will receive mental health training to better handle these types of situations.
As the city finalizes its plan for the new program, they are deciding on the salaries for the clinician dispatchers. This initiative is an important step in improving Cleveland’s response to mental health crises and ensuring that callers receive the appropriate support and resources they need.
