A behavioral health clinician from San Mateo County Health will be embedded in our San Mateo Police Department in a new pilot program to improve our community policing and first response for those in behavioral health crisis through a co-response model linked to police dispatch as well as County Health resources and data.
The County Mental Health & Substance Abuse Recovery Commission will help lead community input and engagement, and the John W. Gardner Center for Youth and Their Communities at Stanford University will evaluate the intervention and assessment methods by the clinicians and cities.
Our council unanimously supported the pilot. Council member and former mayor Joe Goethals said "This is a critical strategy to better serve our community. More than half of county jail population are suffering from mental health issues... health professionals are a proven solution to reducing incarceration in favor of treatment and diversion."
Watch the staff presentation at the City Council meeting on January, 19th.
Related News
A New Partner for Police: Mental Health Professionals to Respond to 9-1-1 Calls for People in Crisis. Licensed clinicians to embed with police in Daly City, San Mateo, Redwood City and South San Francisco (Jan. 12, 2020)
