BLOOMINGTON, Minn — The Bloomington Police Department is launching a pilot mental health program that Chief Booker Hodges says will be a first in Minnesota and possibly a first nationwide.
"I have not found another agency in the world as a police department that provides immediate in-home therapy for people in crisis," Hodges said during a press conference Thursday.
According to the department, so far this year, Bloomington officers have responded to 952 calls from the community reporting a mental health crisis. Currently, social workers do not come with officers to the scene. Hodges says that is due to the department being partnered with Hennepin County, and the county doesn't follow that model.
Adding to the problem, Hodges says, is that even after individuals come in contact with police, therapy is often unavailable due to high demand.
"I think when you talk to families who need that immediate assistance and they're told, 'You've got to wait two months to get it,' that's a long time to go without getting services," he said. "Think if you had an infection in your knee and they told you you couldn't see a doctor for two months."
The cost of therapy can be another deterrent. But come December, some of these issues could begin to resolve as the department begins its Innovative Mental Health Rapid Response Program.
Through it, social workers still won't respond to 911 calls, but two licensed marriage and family counselors and eight Saint Mary's University of Minnesota grad students, who they supervise, will travel to people's homes and provide 40 mental health services appointments per week at no cost to the client.
Hodges says having social workers or mental health professionals respond to 911 calls could come in the future, but is not part of this pilot program.
Those seeking mental health support will need to be referred by the police department or its partners such as Bloomington Public Schools.
"This is strictly referral-based," the chief said. "So like when someone gets referred to our social workers, either through police officers, our school partners, our fire department, and they're meeting with people after the fact."
Bloomington Public Schools Superintendent Dr. Eric Melbye attended the press conference and says he's excited for the program to benefit students and their families.
Once referred, clients can see a provider for up to 10 weeks.
And because there have been 47 fatal overdoses in the city over the last five years, state opioid settlement funds and state public safety aid funds are covering the $63,000 program cost. Minnesota Department of Public Safety Commissioner Bob Jacobson also attended the press conference to highlight the governor's authorization of the funding this past legislative session. He says the point of the funding was to allow communities to determine how best to use it, and says that's exactly what Bloomington has done.
Hodges says benchmarks to determine whether the program is effective would be fewer opioid overdoses and fewer of the same people calling police multiple times for mental health crises. The department reports there were 1,115 mental health crisis calls last year.
"This is a year pilot project right now and if it's working then we'll have to go seek additional funding," he said.
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