INDIANAPOLIS — Communities on the southeast side of Indianapolis now have 24/7 access to supportive mental health services.
On Wednesday, the city's mental health unit, known as the Clinician-Led Community Response Team (CLCR), announced its expansion to the southeast district.
The CLCR launched in 2023 to address situations involving mental health and substance use disorders. Providing alternative resources to reduce unnecessary incidents in the criminal justice system.
Executive Director Andrea Brown told WRTV’s Amber Grigley that the volume of mental health-specific emergency calls from the southeast district forced them to make the expansion.
"When we looked at the call data year to date, we have responded to over 1600 calls, and when we looked at the numbers, the southeast district was the next highest district that was calling and requesting a clinician response," Brown said.
The CLCR now operates 24/7 in the southeast, north, east, and downtown IMPD districts. Nearly 63% of Indianapolis residents now live in an area served by CLCR.
Brown said getting in touch with their team is simple.
"If you call 911, there is a new prompt. If you have recently called, you'll realize that they now ask, 'Is this a mental health call?' The dispatchers at MESA [Metropolitan Emergency Services Agency] are trained to inquire and ask appropriate questions to determine who's best suited for the call and if it is determined that there's no threat of violence and no weapons are in play, and it is a true mental health call, the clinician-led community response team will respond," Brown said.
The CLCR team is a partnership between the Office of Public Health and Services (OPHS) and Stepping Stones Therapy Center.
