LEXINGTON, Ky. (LEX 18) — In response to increased mental health awareness and calls for help in Lexington, the city's first responders are investing more resources both internally and externally.
The statistics can be alarming. The latest analysis of state data by Mental Health America found that 22.5% of Kentucky adults, or 762,000 people, have been diagnosed with a psychobehavioral or emotional disorder. This does not include unreported people who are homeless or incarcerated.
Lexington emergency officials estimate they receive 3,000 mental health calls a year. That's why we announced earlier this week that we would use an $850,000 grant to create regional crisis teams to better support people in crisis.
A full-time mental health professional can attend mental health calls and provide professional resources.
It will also provide overtime pay for police officers (currently about 45) who are specially trained to respond to mental health emergencies.
From gruesome murders to senseless crimes, there are some traumatic experiences even for first responders.
“This is something that may be a little bit beyond what the average citizen would go to for help,” Lexington Police Commander Chris Cooper said. “I have a much greater awareness of how the traumatic event actually affects me and weighs on me.”
Mr. Cooper is responsible for recruiting people to join them. He says today's generation is more aware of mental health and more comfortable talking about it.
This is another reason why they put even more emphasis on the mental health of the people they serve. They hired a mental health and wellness coordinator to give their team direct access to licensed professional clinical counselors.
“We have our own in-house programs that allow us to provide these services for free to the public. It's not just for sworn officers, it's for civilians, it's for retirees and everyone. We also provide for families,” Cooper said.
He said the counselor has already been seeing clients for several months and is becoming a well-known name within the force.
“It's good for everyone to have peace of mind that the police care about the public, they invest in the public, and ultimately they reinvest in the community by providing these services. I think so,” Cooper said.
He hopes this will prevent officers from having to live with the trauma or silently carry it home to their families.
They were able to utilize another grant to hire a coordinator full time.
“We were so excited to bring it here to Lexington,” Cooper said.
