Indianapolis Office of Public Health and Safety Aims to Expand Mental Health Services
– The Indianapolis Office of Public Health and Safety is working on expanding the hours and manpower of the Mobile Crisis Assistance Team (MCAT) and the Clinician Lead Community Response Team (CLCR) to provide 24/7 service. The goal is to have clinicians available at any time of the day for individuals seeking help with mental health issues.
– Currently, MCAT only operates from Monday to Friday, 8 a.m. to 6 p.m., responding to violent mental health incidents. On the other hand, CLCR operates seven days a week from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m., but can only respond to non-violent incidents. The plan is to expand the budget for the clinician team in order to extend their services to the east district and provide 24/7 service in both districts.
Expanding Mental Health Services in Indianapolis
The Indianapolis Office of Public Health and Safety is actively working towards expanding mental health services in the city. One of their primary goals is to extend the hours and manpower of the Mobile Crisis Assistance Team (MCAT) and the Clinician Lead Community Response Team (CLCR). Currently, MCAT operates from Monday to Friday, 8 a.m. to 6 p.m., responding specifically to mental health incidents that turn violent. On the other hand, CLCR operates seven days a week from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m., focusing on non-violent incidents.
The aim is to provide round-the-clock assistance for individuals seeking help with mental health issues. Martine Romy Bernard-Tucker, the director for the Indianapolis Office of Public Health, expressed the desire for people to be able to call for help at any point in the day and have access to trained clinicians. However, they also acknowledge that staffing is a challenge and are actively working on addressing it.
The plan includes expanding the budget for the clinician team to allow for the expansion of services to the east district and provide 24/7 coverage in both districts. The Sandra Eskenazi Mental Health Center covers the expenses for the MCAT clinicians who accompany Indianapolis Metropolitan Police officers, while the police department covers the costs for officers and equipment in the unit.
Although there are conversations about expanding and filling gaps in mental health services, Bernard-Tucker acknowledges that until MCAT can hire more staff willing to work late into the evening, the current hours won’t shift significantly. News 8 reached out to Eskenazi Health to inquire about the addition of more MCAT clinicians next year, but a spokesperson for the hospital is still working on obtaining an answer.
This initiative by the Indianapolis Office of Public Health and Safety demonstrates their commitment to improving access to mental health services in the city and addressing the needs of individuals in crisis situations.
Source: www.wishtv.com