Roseland Mental Health Clinic to reopen as Roseland Health Hub on 115th Street, CARE program expanding, Chicago mayor says

CHICAGO (WLS) — A ribbon cutting was held Wednesday morning to celebrate the reopening of the former Roseland Mental Health Clinic.

A closed mental health clinic has reopened and is providing free mental health resources to the people of Roseland.

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Mayor Brandon Johnson joined Chicago Department of Public Health Director Dr. Olusimbo “Simbo” Ige to select board members and community leaders to cut the ribbon on the facility, which has been renamed the Roseland Health Hub.

The previous administration closed several mental health clinics in Chicago. The reopening also means an expansion of the Crisis Assistance Response and Engagement Program (CARE). Police mental health services and support are provided from four districts in the city and will now be available in six districts.

“Low-income people of color don’t have options. We want people to have options,” Dr. Ige said. “This is not a competition with the police. We just want to give people more options than the police.”

The CDPH-run clinic at 200 E. 115th St. will provide free mental health and sexual health services to Chicago residents, regardless of insurance or immigration status, according to a news release from the mayor’s office.

“There are always people who need the emergency room and that’s the cost of not responding and not getting a wrap,” Johnson said.

See also: Family says man was in mental health crisis when he was fatally shot by police in Little Village

“Today’s reopening of Roseland Clinic and expansion of the CARE program marks a turning point for mental health care in Chicago,” said Johnson. “The dismantling of our city’s mental health infrastructure has turned emergency rooms and jails into de facto treatment centers, failing both patients and communities. My administration is committed to ensuring that all Chicagoans We are taking decisive action through our investments to ensure access to the life-saving care we need, no matter the situation.”We will continue to choose treatment over trauma and truly serve all of our residents. We will rebuild a medical system that can provide the following. ”

City leaders also announced an expansion of the CARE program, which provides emergency response through 911 dispatch to people facing mental health crises.

With this expansion, CARE will also launch a citywide special case team with the capacity to support individuals facing mental health emergencies in all Chicago communities, the release states.

“This program is critical to providing appropriate professional care to people experiencing mental health emergencies,” Ige said. “In addition to expanding mental health services and providing crisis response by trained clinicians, residents facing mental health challenges can receive the care they need from mental health professionals right away and get it met. It will ensure that people are connected to resources to address their health and social needs.”

The CARE program includes stock vans that go to places where people are suffering, with people like clinician Any White and paramedic Dino Hickman providing clothing, food and support for underlying problems. You can get it.

“They’re not scared, they’re easy to talk to us, they know we don’t have guns, we don’t have badges, we’re just two normal people walking down the street trying to help,” Hickman said. It’s nothing more than that,” he said.

CARE teams monitor 911 calls to see where they can de-escalate situations and get help to those in crisis. They respond without lights or sirens, offering what they can and allowing individuals to make their own choices.

“As a clinician, being able to be on the street and meet patients in crisis as if they were in their own home is very powerful and necessary to help them get on the road to recovery,” Dr. White said. Ta.