The Hemet Police Department is teaming up with Riverside County social workers to help respond to mental health emergencies.
The program with the Riverside University Health Systems partners a detective with a licensed social worker, something that Detective Albert Martinez has found immensely helpful.
“It’s beyond helpful,” Martinez said. “Having her with me, and the knowledge she has, helps us big time.”
His partner, Cynthia Ferreiro, added that the partnership allows behavioral health specialists meet patients outside of the traditional setting of an office.
“Mental health crisis, anything having to do with health-related stuff, doesn’t happen in a traditional setting anymore,” Ferreiro said. “It happens on the sidewalk. It happens in a bridge. It happens in a police lobby. When somebody walks in and says, I need help.”
The program is called CBAT or Community Behavioral Assessment Teams. Their goals are to de-escalate and get people help.
“We can slow it down,” Martinez said. “We can take out time. We can talk to them and figure out what they need.”
Riverside County has CBAT clinicians in 20 police departments across the county. Last year, it reported that it’s teams responded to over 5,800 crisis service requests.
“We have to be able to be equipped to hit everything at all angles,” Ferreiro said. “It can’t just be, ‘Need an officer here.’ We need a clinician to take them over here. We have to have a holistic, all-around way of helping the individual.”
CBAT officials said the clinicians have master’s degrees in clinical social work or in marriage and family therapy. They provide care on scene and follow up with county health resources as needed. Martinez said mental health care is pivotal to reaching the people who need it most.
“Honestly, it’s easier for me because people see it and they actually want to talk to us,” Martinez said. “Sometimes, when two officers respond, people will tell us, ‘I don’t want to talk to the police. I’m going through depression. I don’t need your help.’ When we show up, a lot of people will see her there and it just helps us big time.
Both Hemet PD and Riverside County said they’ve received positive feedback from the community and are working to expand the CBAT programs.