Chicago Starts Sending Mental Health Professionals to Some 911 Calls for Help (IL)

by | Sep 3, 2021 | Comm Center News

Read Full Article | View Source

Teams of mental health professionals, paramedics and crisis-intervention trained officers will use white vans to help those suffering from mental illness in two parts of Chicago, officials said. (Credit: Chicago Department of Public Health)Teams of mental health professionals, paramedics and crisis-intervention trained officers will use white vans to help those suffering from mental illness in two parts of Chicago, officials said. (Credit: Chicago Department of Public Health)

Chicagoans who call 911 in two parts of the city while experiencing a mental health crisis can now get help from not just a Chicago police officer trained to assist them — but also a paramedic and a mental health professional.

The teams are now responding to calls for help from Chicagoans in Uptown, Lakeview and North Center on the North Side, with another team focusing on Auburn Gresham and Chatham on the South Side, officials told aldermen during a meeting of the City Council’s Committee on Health and Human Relations on Wednesday…