WICHITA FALLS, Texas (KAUZ) – The conversation surrounding mental health has been at the forefront since the pandemic, with experts across the country searching for more solutions to provide better care.
Local organizations in Wichita Falls have come together to solve that need in the community.
“Our goal is to be able to serve the community better,” said Sergeant Charlie Aiper, public information officer for the Wichita Falls Police Department.
“We hope to bring people together, each bringing something different to the table, forming a team that can offer help during a mental health crisis,” Sergeant Aiper added.
By providing a mobile mental health unit, officials hope to reach out to those who need help.
The unit will be dispatched to the scene of calls about individuals in crisis and in need of help.
“We may be able to bridge the gap and shorten the time it takes for this person to get treatment and get help,” Sergeant Eiper said.
“Initially we’ll assist you and take you somewhere where you can get help, but then you’ll be handcuffed, put in a vehicle for our security and taken somewhere to be checked in,” Sergeant Aiper added.
The plan has been hotly discussed for some time now as relevant experts have been conducting extensive research into the exact benefits to the region.
“We’ve been looking at the data for almost three years,” Helen Farabee deputy executive director Andrew Martin said.
“We’re trying to get evidence to support our funding request, and some of the data suggests that almost 10 percent of the calls we receive each month are people repeatedly calling the 911 system for help,” Martin added.
Andrew Martin has more than 20 years’ experience in the mental health field and believes the unit will help reduce the number of people in crisis they see.
“The number of people we see remains roughly constant so we’re always busy, but in recent years things have become more challenging because of limited funding,” Martin said.
Other concerns are still being discussed among multiple parties involved in logistics and fundraising.
Officials believe the unit could be commissioned in the near future.
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