SANTA ANA, Calif. (KESQ) – In a partnership with the Orange County Health Care Agency, the Orange County Sheriff’s Department today began a program to refer some emergency calls to social workers in an effort to better allocate resources.
By the early afternoon, seven calls to 911 were referred to the experts at the Health Care Agency. Officials expect that the average will be about 70 a month.
“There’s a gain on both sides in efficiency” with the new program, Sheriff Don Barnes said in an interview Wednesday…