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Ada County Paramedics and St. Luke's team up to provide better mental health to Ada County Residents

People will get to mental health facilities sooner
Posted at 5:15 PM, Feb 07, 2017
and last updated 2017-02-07 19:24:41-05

St. Luke's has committed $40,000 this year to Ada County Paramedics to expand theirPET (Psychiatric Evaluation Team) program.

The funds will allow the team to add hours to workdays, and it will also allow for more follow-up with people who are visited by first responders in crisis.

"It places people in direct contact with the mental health community in a much more efficient way," said Dawn Rae with Ada County Paramedics.

The usual stopgap is for police -- many of whom have psychiatric training -- to bring a person to an Emergency Room.  These grants will help to move more people directly from a scene to a place where they can receive mental health services and support directly.

"We're able to collaborate with law enforcement officers to provide a better experience for people," said Rae.