New Santa Cruz CARE Alert program launches to serve those with mental health challenges
SANTA CRUZ, Calif. (KION-TV)- The Santa Cruz County Sheriff’s Office launched the Care Alert Program on Thursday, making the county the first in California to implement this initiative.
The program focuses on enhancing safety for individuals with mental health challenges and cognitive disabilities.
The program will give families the opportunity to voluntarily provide law enforcement with key information to improve emergency responses and is designed to address the special needs of any person with cognitive or behavioral conditions.
"I think this is an amazing, just additional step in terms of helping people who are involved in crisis," Chris Clark sheriff for Santa Cruz County said. "We can engage them, bring our mental health liaisons and have that, hopefully bring a safer, resolution to whatever situation we're faced."
Santa Cruz County responds to over 3,000 crisis calls per year.
The Care Alert Program aims to provide law enforcement with more tools to improve the response and outcome of these calls.
"This specific program was brought to me by a mother whose son I had just, such an immediate misunderstanding," Supervisor Manu Koenig said. "He ended up in jail, that was ultimately a step backwards rather than a step forward, for his condition."
"I think that there are situations, many times in families that are pretty difficult to go through," Marina Archer Social Psychologist said. "This is why we need better tools and more creative solutions, because, people that have mental health issues, do not belong in jail. They need to be able to be helped appropriately. and many times because of errors or mistakes or misunderstandings, you know, you can have arrests that could have been avoided."
Sheriff Clark emphasized the need for better tools to ensure proper help is given.
"Another tool, is making sure that we're addressing this in a way that provides the best public safety for, for folks here in the county that are experiencing crisis," Clark said.
The website to register for the Care Alert program is linked here carealert.santacruzcountyca.gov