NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — It’s a program designed to free up Nashville’s ambulances to help people in mental health crises. After a year of pilot programs, metro leaders voted this week to provide more funding for the REACH program and expand its available hours.
There’s no doubt the Nashville Fire Department is busy: Fire Station 9 downtown was watched as officers responded to five medical calls in just about 15 minutes.
That’s the idea behind a pilot program that’s been running for the past year called REACH (Responders Engaged And Committed to Helping), which has deployed mental health professionals alongside medical personnel to more than 600 nonviolent calls in the past year.
The solution is similar to the Partners in Care program used by the Metropolitan Police Department, which was strengthened after police shot and killed a mentally ill man on Interstate 65 two years ago.
The goal is to better direct people experiencing mental health crises to mental health professionals rather than having them taken to a hospital in a Metro ambulance, where many patients may not need an ambulance at all.
This will allow ambulances to respond to more medical emergencies.
Metro leaders voted and passed a city budget this week to strengthen the REACH program, expanding the program’s hours to include evenings and weekends.
The club witnessed the early days of the AIDS crisis and decided to do something about it.
In the face of grief and hatred, these gentlemen worked to save lives. Forrest Sanders shares with us the history lesson that continues to have ripple effects across Nashville.
-Carrie Sharp
