CAHOOTS: The Program Changing The Face Of Mental Health Support In The Streets.

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CAHOOTS (Crisis Assistance Helping Out On The Streets), is a program started by White Bird Clinic in Eugene, OR. This is an alternative program meant to assist those having possible mental health crises without involving police. While the mobile crisis response team is dispatched through Eugene’s police-fire-ambulance communications center, those answering the call are not police officers, but trained crisis specialists. These specialists are experts at de-escalation, suicide prevention, substance abuse and other possible mental health situations. This program has been wildly successful in the Eugene area in showcasing the necessity of having mental health experts on call for certain situations. The latest federal COVID bill recognizes their success, and has included funding to distribute to other communities to launch programs just like this one. The CAHOOTS program actually ended up saving the city of Eugene around $14 million in 2019, by decreasing the need for police presence, ambulance rides and even emergency room treatment where it wasn’t necessary. Portland has developed a similar program, launched last month called Portland Street Response in the Lents neighborhood, focusing on homeless individuals, with the hope to move city-wide in the next year. Federal support of these mental health crises programs continues to showcase the importance of alternatives to heavy policing, and community trust. 



To donate to either White Bird Clinic and help them continue this incredible program, click the link below. 

 https://whitebirdclinic.org/donate/

 


To learn more, visit the White Bird Clinic site, and the Portland Street Response site.    


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