MILWAUKEE — The Milwaukee County Mental Health Board has earmarked $500,000 to create a new program that pairs mental health professions with law enforcement officers during 911 situations.
That program, called the Crisis Assessment and Response Team, or CART, will help 911 callers when they ask for mental health services or if they identify that mental health symptoms may be present during an incident.
The funds approved by the Board Wednesday will go to the Milwaukee County Behavioral Health Division (BHD), which will create the initial program. The team at first will consist of three Milwaukee County Sheriff's Office deputies and two BHD clinicians - hopefully by fall of this year.
“This collaborative partnership focuses on increasing public safety through thoughtful collaboration to bring more resources to those who have been historically under-served and unable to access the mental health services they need," said Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley in a release.
