INDIANAPOLIS – Mayor Hogsett, representatives from the Office of Public Health and Safety (OPHS), the City-County Council, Faith in Indiana, Stepping Stone Therapy Center, and the Phoenix Nicholas Center, recently announced details regarding the new Clinician-Led Community Response (CLCR) pilot program. With a budget of $2M approved by the City-County Council in October of 2022, this pilot program will engage with residents in their time of need to reduce unnecessary entanglement in the criminal justice system.
The program was intended to add to the resources already provided by Mobile Crisis Assistance Team (MCAT) led by IMPD, and the Assessment and Intervention Center (AIC), a free service facility that connects neighbors to their next step in their mental health or substance use recovery journeys.
A prime example of collaboration between City, Mental Health Clinicians, and community partners, this program will be the first of its kind for Indianapolis. Stepping Stone Therapy Center, led by Joycelyn Yvette Wilson, with the support of the Phoenix Nicholas Center and OPHS, is the key implementation partner responsible for hiring and managing the response teams.
The initial response teams will operate out of the City-County Building, responding to 911 calls that meet the criteria outlined by emergency services. The first phase of the program will include four teams, comprised of a clinical supervisor, a Licensed Clinical Social Worker, and a peer specialist. The teams will work three day-10-hour shifts with varying hours, depending on the volume of calls. Call data will continue to be collected and analyzed to ensure the full efficacy of the team. When fully staffed, this pilot program will operate on a 24-hour, 7-day per week rotation in Downtown and East IMPD Districts. Stepping Stone is currently training clinicians and anticipates launching teams over the coming weeks.