EL PASO COUNTY, Colo. (KRDO) – Local agencies are warning that the money for a life-saving program will soon be gone. It’s the community response team that helps people in crisis, but now the team is facing its own crisis.
If the program does not find a new source for funding, come July 1st when people across El Paso County call 9-1-1 for a mental health crisis, instead of a specialized team showing up to help, the fire and police departments will show up in full force, taking away from other emergencies in an already overwhelmed county.
Mental health experts say losing the community response team (CRT) could be detrimental to the community.
“It’s one of those things where people don’t think about the resource existing and what the impact it has until it’s not there,” shared Chief Clinical Officer with Diversus Health, Katie Blickenderfer.
The team responds to crisis calls for people who may hurt themselves or others.
“It’s a police officer, a paramedic, and a clinician that go out and travel in a van so that it’s less stigmatizing,” explained Blickenderfer.