11/2/2023 - 12:35 PM

Santa Rosa's inRESPONSE Mental Health Support Team: A Model for the Nation

On January 11, 2022, the City of Santa Rosa launched the inRESPONSE Mental Health Support Team. The team is designed to respond to calls for service with a mental health first approach. Currently, there are two inRESPONSE field teams providing mental health crisis response for our community 15 hours a day, seven days a week. Each team is composed of a licensed or associate licensed mental health clinician provided by the County of Sonoma, a paramedic provided by the Santa Rosa Fire Department, and a Homeless Outreach Specialist provided by Catholic Charities. These teams are supported by system navigators from Buckelew Programs providing clients and their families with wrap-around support services. These system navigators collaborate with other community mental health resources to create an improved system of care in Sonoma County. Though the Santa Rosa Police Department led the creation of the team and continues to guide the overall direction of the team moving forward, this is truly a unique partnership between a host of community-based organizations and groups. 

Calls requesting inRESPONSE services are received through the Santa Rosa Police Department Communications Center using the dedicated inRESPONSE line of 707-575-HELP.  If a 911 call is received regarding a person in crisis, the inRESPONSE team will be sent in lieu of a police officer if it is safe to do so. inRESPONSE team members are trained in de-escalation and social work interventions as well as physical and mental health evaluations.

In October of 2023, Chief Cregan attended the International Association of Chiefs of Police Conference (IACP), where the inRESPONSE Mental Health Response Team was highlighted as a model crisis response team. A video demonstrating the effectiveness of our uniquely qualified team was shown to over 14,000 police leaders from around the world. Chief Cregan’s goal is to help guide other leaders as they work to create crisis response teams for their communities.  The City of Santa Rosa is truly leading the way for other communities across the nation. 

The IACP conference video, which provides a comprehensive overview of the inRESPONSE program, can be viewed here. A shorter version, made specifically for community engagement and outreach on social media platforms can be viewed here.
In 2022, the inRESPONSE team responded to 2,893 calls for service across the City of Santa Rosa. As our community learns more about our team, we have seen a significant increase in the requests for their services. In the first nine months of 2023, inRESPONSE responded to 3,462 calls for service. Year-to-date, 1,762 calls for service were diverted away from a police response and instead attended by an inRESPONSE team. inRESPONSE is projected to respond to 5,000 calls for service in 2023.  We are currently working to launch a third team to work from 9 p.m. to 7 a.m., seven days a week at the beginning of 2024.  This third team will help us achieve a comprehensive 24/7 response team to serve those in need of immediate mental health support. 

If you or someone you know is experiencing a mental health crisis in Santa Rosa, call the inRESPONSE Mental Health Support Team at 707-575-HELP (4357). LEARN MORE 
 

Media Contact:
Sgt. Patricia Seffens
Public Information Officer
707-543-3634
pseffens@srcity.org