CLAREMONT (CNS) - Mental health clinicians will start responding to some 911 calls in Claremont along with police officers as part of a program intended to better address nonviolent, non-criminal health needs, the police department announced today.
The Psychiatric Assessment Care Team was established through a partnership between Claremont and the Tri-City Mental Health Authority, an outpatient mental health provider for residents of Pomona, La Verne and Claremont.
The program seeks to pair a licensed clinical therapist and a licensed psychiatric technician with a police officer to some calls “to provide crisis response, screening, evaluation, referral and assessment as needed,'' the Claremont Police Department said.
“The goal of the PACT is to utilize police resources more effectively and efficiently to respond to mental health needs of Claremont residents and/or visitors by using trained mental health professionals to take the lead on non-violent, non-criminal calls for assistance received by the police department, including responses to addressing persons with mental health needs who do not have a permanent residence,'' the department said.
Teams will also follow up after calls to help connect individuals or families to the right services, police said.
The clinicians will be stationed at the Claremont Police Department during business hours.
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