SHEBOYGAN — Starting Nov. 20, mental health workers will respond to calls with Sheboygan Police Department officers and do community outreach to individuals in need of service.
This work is part of the Co-Responder Pilot Program with the department and Sheboygan County Health and Human Services.
The program was developed in response to “gaps in service seen by both organizations,” according to a news release, and will embed mental health staff in the police department.
The mental health workers will be available 16 hours a day, spanning 10 a.m. to 2 a.m., seven days a week, said Joel Kuszynski, captain of the patrol division for the department. He said that timeframe is where the department saw the greatest need, but could change as the program develops.
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The department recognizes navigating mental health services can be frustrating and difficult, the release said. The goal of the program is to help people in need of service, especially those nearing crisis, connect with available services in the county.
“We believe that having these workers out in the community will ease the process and lead to individuals having greater success getting connected to services that prevent them from needing to use an emergency room or ending up in the criminal justice system,” the release said.
The program will not replace current Crisis Response Services, as it is meant to help people before they need the crisis response, the release said.
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The mental health workers have been hired and training for four weeks and are contracted by the county from Elevate Inc. The program itself is funded by American Rescue Plan Act funds from the county and city.
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