The Meadows Mental Health Policy Institute, Dallas Fire-Rescue Department, Dallas Police Department, and Parkland Health & Hospital System joined forces more than six months ago and launched the Rapid Integrated Group Healthcare Team (RIGHT) Care pilot program. This program is the first of its kind in Texas and it provides a comprehensive emergency response to calls involving behavioral health emergencies.
The RIGHT Care Program includes specially trained and equipped police officers, paramedics, and mental health professionals who respond as a team to safely and effectively manage patients experiencing behavioral emergencies.
Our pilot program is currently focused in one area of Dallas, the South Central Division, and the team has answered more than 1700 mental health calls. Over 300 of those calls required an outreach and follow up to be made, and more than 130 of the calls resulted in citizens getting the treatment they need by being transported to a mental health care facility.
A significant benefit of the RIGHT Care Program is that it free up manpower from answer these types calls and allow patrol officers to answer other calls for service. The program also brings police, fire, and hospital personnel together in one effort to provide the best service to our community.
Kudos to the RIGHT Care Team for their hard work and dedication to this program. Job Well Done!!!
The Department would also like to thank the W.W. Caruth Jr. Foundation at CFT for the grant and the DFW Metropolitan New Car Dealers Association for generously donating the response vehicle.
TD
You must be logged in to post a comment.