SAFE (Specialized Assistance For Everyone) In City Of Cotati

Press release from the City of Cotati:

November 1, 2021

Cotati and Rohnert Park have partnered to start a mobile mental health crisis response team for our cities. This team, referred to as “SAFE”, is expected to start service the first week of November and can be accessed by calling 9-1-1. The SAFE team, modeled after the successful Cahoots program in Eugene, OR, consists of a medic (nurse, paramedic, or Emergency Medical Technician) and a crisis worker.

Services provided by SAFE include responding to people who are under the influence of drugs or alcohol, in need of treatment for mental illness, or who need shelter by providing counseling and transportation to the appropriate location. The team will also address minor medical complaints that do not require emergency room care. Left untreated, some of these medical conditions can become severe. The SAFE team will also be supported by a Coordinator, who will manage referrals to the various social and mental health programs in Sonoma County. The program will start up at twelve hours per day, seven days a week, and will build toward eighteen to twenty hours/day. It is estimated that the team will respond to about 3,500 calls each year.

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This press release was produced by the City of Cotati. The views expressed here are the author’s own.