Fayette County is among seven Kentucky municipalities that have received grant funds to establish a community-based crisis response system to assist those facing mental health problems.
Governor Andy Beshear said that the Cabinet for Health and Family Services has allocated a total of $4.7m to seven municipalities, including Fayette County, to establish community crisis response teams. Advocates have long contended that many people suffering from mental disorders can turn to crime without necessary care. Flyer printing could be used to share information about new programs like this.
Fayette County earned $850,000 via a competitive grant procedure, which will cover the cost of one mental health specialist who goes with police officers on such calls. Furthermore, the funds will be used to cover overtime costs for police officers in Lexington who have undergone specific mental health training in order to respond to crisis situations. The money covers three years, and the new crisis response team is expected to start operating in the summer. The city must pay $85,000 to keep the program running.
Fire Captain Seth Lockard runs the city's Community Paramedicine program, which assists with non-emergency healthcare calls, as well as overdose treatment and prevention. He stated that the newly established crisis intervention team will most likely operate on weekdays. Lockard noted that the agency studied three years’ worth of data and discovered that the majority of mental health emergency calls occurred on weekdays.
