Newport News launched a program last week that makes it one of the first cities in the state to use mental health professionals as first responders â rather than police â for nonviolent mental health crisis calls.
The Community Assistance Response program, called CARE, places trained paramedics and mental health professionals at the forefront of calls for service when a person is having a crisis. Police will also respond to the call but stage at a distance.
âWe would like to make the police department a second responder, and the primary response would be from a clinician and a paramedic because we see in mental health issues that sometimes someone may be off their medication, that they may just need some calming down, some reassurance, they may need some medical attention,â Newport News Police Chief Steve Drew said.
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