What if mental health workers responded to emergency calls? | Leslie Herod

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When you report an emergency in the US, police, firefighters or paramedics answer the call. What if mental health professionals responded, too? Colorado State Representative Leslie Herod shares a straightforward and research-backed approach that brings heart and humanity to criminal justice rather than unnecessary fines and arrests — and keeps crises from escalating into traumatic, or even deadly, events.

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41 Comments on What if mental health workers responded to emergency calls? | Leslie Herod

  1. Yes imagine a person responding to a violent outbreak that the immediate family cannot deal with without having the skills and resources to protect themselves, the family or even the person.

    • @wordscontrolminds What? Do you even watch the daily police vids? Like Police Activity channel here on YT. You’d rather trade the social worker’s life for a crazy person? You should volunteer…

    • Seems not to be the case? I’ve looked at injured health workers in the Cahoots program, and found nobody… Maybe someone has news links?

    • @Artimis Fowl look in the comments. In Texas a person was talking about a mental health workers got shot with a cop

  2. Had a friend of mine who was a mental health worker. He and a policeman both were shot and killed by the crazy guy

    • This is what first responders sign up for and mental health workers is not understanding. First responders have training and a mental health workers is a liability that can distract a first responder from doing their job.

    • @Hugglepuff there were firearms involved and no one knew it until Jim had been shot. The point is…. people who are irrational for what ever reason can’t be dealt with rationally. This is why we have first responders! How do the police know who is psycho and who isn’t?

      Had KD Fowler ( the policeman of 36 years)arrived first he might have been able at best to disarm the man or at least isolate the situation. Either way Jim would still be alive and be a Dad to his daughter. He was a single parent

  3. WORDS are the most powerful thing in this world as it can sometimes heal a person
    have anyone of u ever thought that why some people find it more save and comfortable when they talk to their therapist rather than their belongings? bcuz the stranger shows him that he is worthable by his WORDS

  4. I live in Eugene, Oregon and our Cahoots works really well! For all of you speculating that it’s too dangerous for the mental health workers, look up the statistics for Cahoots and see what happens in the real world!!

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