LEXINGTON, Ky. (ABC 36 NEWS NOW) —Earlier this year, Governor Andy Beshear announced an $850,000 federal grant for Lexington to create a Community Crisis Co-Response Team. “This grant allows our city to hire a full-time mental health professional to respond directly to mental health calls,” Lexington Mayor Linda Gorton said. The city receives approximately 3,000 mental health calls per year….
LEXINGTON, Ky. (ABC 36 NEWS NOW) —Earlier this year, Governor Andy Beshear announced an $850,000 federal grant for Lexington to create a Community Crisis Co-Response Team.
“This grant allows our city to hire a full-time mental health professional to respond directly to mental health calls,” Lexington Mayor Linda Gorton said.
The city receives approximately 3,000 mental health calls per year.
“The Community Crisis Co-Response Team will be staffed with police officers that volunteer to work this detail and have passion to help others,” Assistant Police Chief Brian Maynard said.
One of their main hires is Chris Perrine. He comes all the way from California, but after spending the past month in Lexington, he says he’s ready to get to work helping people in the city.
“Having worked in a variety of crisis and inpatient settings I look forward to bringing my experience and being over service any way I can,” Perrine said.
The Crisis Response Team will work weekdays, the time when the majority of mental health calls occur.
“If that also helps to reduce the number of officers and firefighters that respond to mental health calls while also providing those in need with more specialized mental health resources, we all win,” Maynard said.
The team currently has 45 officers. All of them work to help respond to mental health calls in the city.