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Community meeting on Santa Rosa's inRESPONSE emergency mental health support program to be held Monday

The Press Democrat - 5/15/2022

May 15—The first community meeting on Santa Rosa's new emergency mental health response program is set for Monday afternoon, when members of the public will hear from officials about the team's progress since its launch in January.

People are also encouraged to share their insights on what the program, called inRESPONSE, can do better, according to Santa Rosa Interim Police Chief John Cregan.

People can attend the 4 p.m. virtual meeting by Zoom.

In its first four months, the mobile support crew, comprised of a licensed clinical social worker, a firefighter paramedic and a homeless outreach coordinator, has responded to 420 calls regarding behavioral health emergencies, substance use, suicide, medical issues, homelessness and minor crimes, according to preliminary data.

"We're seeing the call volume increase by every week," Cregan said Friday. "We're excited about that; it means the community is using this resource."

Additionally, inRESPONSE's system navigators, a unique element of the Santa Rosa program that provide wraparound social services and supports to people not in acute crisis, have made 601 contacts over the same period with 121 unique individuals.

During Monday's meeting, officials will present an overview of statistics and break them down by demographics and types of calls, as well as review insights gained on the successes and challenges of inRESPONSE in its first four months on the street.

Joining Cregan on the panel will be Katie Swan, program manager with Buckelew Programs; Santa Rosa Fire Department Captain Chris Matthies; Sonoma County Health Program Manager Wendy Tappon; and Jennielynn Holmes, director of programs for Catholic Charities — all of whom collaborate on inRESPONSE.

The community will also hear updates and upcoming developments, including the hiring of additional staff, the addition of two more vans to the fleet, which Cregan hopes will increase inRESPONSE's operation hours by early July, and plans to integrate with schools by the time they return from summer break.

Though the event is officially slated to end at 5:30 p.m., Cregan said it could extend past that to hear all public comments and "take as much time as possible to hear back from our community about how we can make improvements and how we can get the word out."

You can reach Staff Writer Emily Wilder at 707-521-5337 or emily.wilder@pressdemocrat.com. On Twitter @vv1lder.

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