- Wednesday evening the Ingham County Board of Commissions approved a resolution, authorizing the creation of two Crisis Call Taker positions.
- Local psychiatrists say there is a need for more mental health services in the state of Michigan.
- Video shows the need for Crisis Call positions in Ingham County.
(The following is a transcription of the full broadcast story)
According to a local psychiatrist in our neighborhoods, 355,000 people in Michigan have a serious mental health illness. Local officials say there is a need for crisis call workers in our neighborhoods.
"Since COVID, we have seen the numbers have increased," said Dr. Farrah Abbasi.
Abbasi has seen the need for mental health resources firsthand.
"Overall, we are seeing a big crisis in Michigan. On one hand, we have a high increase in numbers, but the services available have gone down too."
She says this leaves people in our neighborhoods struggling with their mental health, calling 9-1-1.
According to a 9-1-1 dispatcher in Ingham County, the center receives nearly 500,000 calls each year. They say a big number of those are crisis calls related to mental health.
"Traditionally, we have relied on 9-1-1, but that's where the police get involved."
To help with specialized calls, according to a proposal by 9-1-1 Director Barbara Davidson, she wrote to the Ingham County Board of Commissioners to create two crisis call taker positions for community mental health. Wednesday, the board approved the proposed resolution.
"Given the nature of calls that come into the center, to have that added capability not to have to redirect into law enforcement but have them available immediately is crucial," said Board Member Mark Polsdofer.
Polsdofer says calling for mental health has been a growing trend in our neighborhoods.
Traditionally, operators are trained to deal with criminal activities, which is why the board supported adding positions.
"You can never really predict what comes down the laundry chute. This is a way for us to be more prepared for the variety of things people do call into 9-1-1 about," said Polsdofer.
In the meantime, Abbasi says those in a mental health crisis should dial 9-8-8 over 9-1-1, as they are available strictly for mental health concerns.
"If you are in a crisis, you can text or call the number, and a crisis counselor responds to you," said Abbasi.
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