CHAMPAIGN, Ill. (WCIA) — Champaign police, firefighters and mental health experts are coming together to prevent tragedy.
“It’s about being there for people in their darkest moments or in the moments of crisis, is what we’re providing, this extra support of services to the citizens of Champaign,” Regina Parnell, the clinical manager for the mental health response team, said.
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The program focuses on crisis assessments, connecting others with resources to help them before things turn violent.
“As being a social worker, I understand when people are in crisis, having that extra layer of support, someone to be there for you. This is going to be a great opportunity for the city,” Parnell said.
Parnell said the team will be going door to door, joining police officers and firefighters on certain calls.
“If my neighbor is good, then I am good. And that’s the city’s main focus, making sure that all the citizens within the City of Champaign are great,” Parnell said.
You could see the teams out and about starting this spring or summer.
“They are working hand in hand with us, to make sure not only that we understand what they do, but also that they understand the social and emotional side of what we’re doing. So, we’re in trainings, we’re doing a lot of things together,” Parnell said.
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Parnell said once the program is launched, she’ll have four people on staff to help with crises throughout the city.
“We’re in the trenches of getting this program launched. We’re working hard behind the scenes. Everybody is open, everybody’s excited. We’re coming together as one so this program can be very effective for the citizens of Champaign,” Parnell said.
This program puts Champaign on par with Urbana, which recently started its own crisis co-response team. The University of Illinois Police Department has its own program as well, called REACH.
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