Dakota County Expands Program That Takes Proactive Approach to Mental Health Calls
March 10, 2020
The St. Paul Pioneer Press discusses the 2020 expansion of Dakota County’s coordinated response pilot program, which pairs police officers with mental health professionals in the Twin Cities south metro suburbs of Apple Valley, Rosemount, Hastings, and potentially Burnsville, and Eagan.
The article explains how our collaborative work with the St. Paul Police to embed a People Incorporated licensed clinical social worker in the department’s mental health unit, which started in 2018, paved a model of success for others. These programs help improve the quality of interactions and connections with individuals in need of community-based supports, making people more likely to pursue the appropriate services.
Embedded mental health professionals can help make connections to case managers, psychiatric care, primary care, food support, health insurance, and other services, more accessible.
