Altapointe to Partner with Mobile Police Via Grant

The City of Mobile has received a $742,000 grant Mayor Sandy Stimpson said will allow AltaPointe to partner with the Mobile Police Department to address mental health problems. AL.com reported the program will see mental health professionals and law enforcement work together to prevent people with serious mental illness from going to jail or tying up space in emergency departments. A four-tiered approach, to help create a safer community, has the goal of developing a curriculum and training police officers on how to respond to someone experiencing a mental health crisis; allowing AltaPointe to send a mental health clinician with a law enforcement officer when responding to a mental health-related call; allowing AltaPointe to continue its initiative at Mobile Metro Jail to identify people with serious mental illness, engage them in treatment and try and reduce their chances for rearrest; and providing in-home help for those with a serious mental illness and frequent contact with law enforcement. The program is to launch this summer.