Montgomery County will host a virtual town hall meeting on Wednesday, May 4 from 7 to 8:30 p.m. The purpose of the forum is to explain the guidelines for mobile crises and outreach teams (MCOT) to follow when responding to mental health crises.
MCOT responding to behavioral health crises without police presence is a significant change for the county. The relatively new program is based on a Eugene, Oregon program that was established in 1989. Eugene developed a community-based public safety system to provide first response for crises involving mental illness, homelessness, and addiction. The CAHOOTS (Crisis Assistance Helping Out On The Streets) team serves as a community policing initiative. Mobile crisis teams are dispatched through the Eugene, Oregon police-fire-ambulance communications center via the non-emergency number.
Learn more and provide comments on a new dispatch protocol for mental health crisis response. More information at https://t.co/eEXP3IXqtO pic.twitter.com/Htps2KFIh4
— Montgomery County DHHS (@MoCoDHHS) April 27, 2022
You are invited to attend a virtual community forum from 7-8:30 pm on May 4 on a “Common Triage and Dispatch Protocol” that provides criteria for mobile crisis and outreach teams at the County’s Crisis Center.
Learn more ➡️ https://t.co/R8YTxwT6BA
— Montgomery County DHHS (@MoCoDHHS) April 27, 2022
In 2021, DHHS consulted with the White Bird Clinic (WBC) that runs the Eugene program. Staff from WBC trained MCOT team members, homeless outreach workers, police, and other staff on de-escalation, scene safety, situational awareness, community engagement and trauma informed care.
The Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS), working with the police and the fire and rescue services, have created guidelines for the mobile crises teams.
DHHS staff will introduce and explain the guidelines, followed by an open forum for questions and comments.
Speakers for the town hall include:
- Raymond Crowel, director, Montgomery County Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS)
- Marcus Jones, chief of the Montgomery County Police
- Scott Goldstein, chief of the Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Service
- Ronaldo Santiago, chief of Behavioral Health and Crisis Services, DHHS
- Dorne Hill, the DHHS senior administrator for crisis, intake and trauma services
- Beth Tabachnick, manager of the DHHS Crisis Center
Residents may participate by joining the Teams Live event at https://bit.ly/commontriage. Teams Live offers translation into multiple languages through closed captioning.
The town hall will also by livestreamed on the County’s Facebook page.
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