Emergency Mental Health Services Expanded through CARE Program

Press Release

Des Moines, Iowa- Friday, July 1, 2022 -Starting July 5th, the City of Des Moines' Crisis Advocacy Response Effort (CARE) program is expanding to better serve the emergency mental health needs in our community. The expansion of the CARE program, between the Des Moines Police Department and the Broadlawns Medical Center, will have clinical professionals trained in helping adolescents and embedded within the emergency dispatch center. These efforts also aim for 24/7 response to mental health calls, expanding from their previous response hours of 6 a.m. to midnight.

The clinically trained professional can assist dispatch staff in screening mental health calls and deciding the level of response that is needed. If the situation doesn't require a response from officers, a team of mental health professionals will be sent out on the call to respond to the people that need assistance.

"The community will benefit greatly from having a clinical professional embedded in the dispatch center. This will allow us to address situations when they are emerging, before rising to the point where it might be too late to help an individual," Broadlawns Medical Center CEO Dr. Coleman said. "There is a huge benefit for us to go upstream to identify and address these mental health issues before they become a crisis."

In addition to a clinically trained professional embedded in the dispatch center, two pediatric professionals specializing in adolescent situations will be added to the CARE program efforts.