SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (WAND) — In January, Memorial Behavioral Health clinicians started partnering with Springfield Police Officers to respond to emergency calls. 

The partnership allows the mental health professionals to help de-escalate situations and provide resources for people who might not know how to get connected. 

"They call the police because they know that number and so that [program] allows them to get connected to the right kind of support that they need," said Cassie Delaney, the Project Director of Memorial's Behavioral Health's Crisis System of Care. 

Delaney says this is a way for people to get long-term help, and not just temporary fixes. She said clinicians will often follow up with patients or connect them to other resources they can use more frequently. 

Right now, there are seven mental health professionals working with police from 9am-7pm, Sunday through Friday. But Delaney says they plan to hire more people, and expand to night hours as well. 

"It's great to have that person there and then it allows that mental health professional to provide that assessment safely in the comfort of the individuals home or where they're at in the community," said Delaney. 

Springfield was one of four cities selected to participate in the co-responder pilot program. The others were Peoria, East St. Louis, and Waukegan. 

Delaney says Memorial Behavioral Health is looking at this program as a blueprint to potentially be spread to other local communities. 

Copyright 2023. WANDTV. All Rights Reserved.