Community Corner
Santa Cruz City Council Study Session: Mental Health Crisis Response
The City Council will engage in a study session to explore current practices and possible future solutions in the area.
November 10, 2020
Santa Cruz – Nationwide and local protests over the role of the police have reenergized the discussion on how communities can best respond to mental health emergencies. The City Council will engage in a study session to explore current practices and possible future solutions in the area of mental health crisis response.
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What: Presenters from the both the City and County of Santa Cruz will outline current mental health crisis response programs, while a representative from the Eugene, Ore.-based Crisis Assistance Helping Out On The Streets (CAHOOTS) program will share information and insights from the crisis response team program created by the White Bird Clinic in that city.
When: Monday, Nov. 16 at 1 p.m.
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Where: Online: CityofSantaCruz.com/Council Meetings
Online: communitytv.org/watch/
Television: Comcast Channel 25
Who: Bernie Escalante, Deputy Chief of Police, Santa Cruz Police Department
Kris Youngren, Downtown Outreach Workers, Encompass Community Services. Encompass is a nonprofit organization with about 40 programs county-wide providing services in behavioral health, family and social well-being, early childhood education, housing, and more.
Erik Riera, Director, Behavioral Health, Santa Cruz County Health Services Agency
Ben Adam Climber, EMT and crisis counselor, White Bird Clinic. Eugene, Ore.-based White Bird Clinic formed the CAHOOTS (Crisis Assistance Helping Out on the Streets) program in collaboration with the public safety department and city of Eugene. The idea was to provide an alternative to police on mental health, substance use, and homelessness related calls by extending the crisis center out into the community. The program has grown and is now five times larger than when it began and provides 24/7/365 mobile crisis service to two cities with a total population of over 230,000.
This press release was produced by the City of Santa Cruz. The views expressed here are the author’s own.
