CHICAGO— Today, Mayor Brandon Johnson and the Chicago Department of Public Health announced the citywide expansion of the Crisis Assistance Response and Engagementprogram, bringing compassionate, non-police crisis response services for residents experiencing mental health crises and socio-emotional distress to every community in Chicago.
“Every Chicagoan deserves to be met with dignity, compassion, and care during moments of crisis,“ said Mayor Brandon Johnson.“The citywide expansion of the CARE program reflects our commitment to a public health and safety approach that emphasizes connecting residents to support, reduces harm, and ensures people experiencing behavioral health challenges receive help from trained professionals when law enforcement intervention is not necessary.
We will continue to invest in a mental health system that centers care, prevention, and community-based support in every neighborhood.”
The CARE Program deploys trained behavioral health professionals and EMTS to respond to individuals experiencing mental health crises and socio-emotional distress with compassionate care, crisis intervention, and basic medical support.
“The expansion of CARE citywide represents years of collaboration to build a response system that prioritizes behavioral health expertise and coordinated care,” said Deputy Mayor Arturo Carrillo.“By expanding eligibility and geographic coverage, we are increasing access to timely intervention and strengthening connections between residents and long-term support services throughout Chicago.”
“The citywide expansion of CARE reflects Chicago Department of Public Health’s core mission: to work with communities and partners to create an equitable, safe, resilient, and Healthy Chicago,” saidDr. Miao Hua, CDPH’s Medical Director and Deputy Commissioner of Behavioral Health.
The expansion marks a major milestone for the program, which previously operated in six police districts and will now serve residents citywide, and builds upon the Johnson administration’s commitment to expand public mental and behavioral health resources throughout the city.
CARE teams are also expanding the scope of eligible responses beyond mental health crises to include broader socio-emotional distress situations—including moments when individuals are overwhelmed by emotional, social, or life challenges.
“The expansion of the CARE program to citywide coverage is an exciting and ambitious step forward to bring Chicago's emergency mental and behavioral health services in line with similar programs across the country,” said Ald. Rossana Rodriguez Sanchez, Chairwoman for the Committee on Health and Human Relations.“This progress emerged from decades of hard work and advocacy by communities across Chicago, demanding an investment in high quality and dignified public health care.”
As part of the expansion, CARE teams will now serve a broader range of residents, including youth as young as six years old and adults over the age of 65 experiencing mental illness or socio-emotional distress.
CARE responses are limited to non-violent, non-medical situations where there is no active threat to the individual or others.
CARE clinicians are trained to conduct on-site mental health assessments, provide crisis de-escalation and brief counseling, and connect residents to ongoing mental health care and social services.
When appropriate, CARE teams may also transport individuals to non-hospital behavioral health destinations, including crisis stabilization centers, living rooms, behavioral health emergency rooms, and other mental health service providers.
“Every CARE response is an opportunity to meet someone with empathy, build trust, and connect them to support during a difficult moment,”said Gabrielle Mitchell, CARE Clinician.“As a clinician, I’ve seen how meaningful it is when people experiencing behavioral health crises or socio-emotional distress are met by trained professionals focused on listening, de-escalation, and care.
Expanding CARE citywide means more Chicagoans will be able to access that support when they need it most.”
The CARE program’s mission is to ensure Chicagoans experiencing mental health crises or socio-emotional distress are assisted on-site by behavioral health professionals and connected to additional health and social services that address unmet needs.
Residents who observe someone experiencing a mental health crisis can call 911 and ask for the CARE team. If the situation is deemed eligible, a CARE response team may be dispatched.
In addition to emergency response services, Chicago residents may request a non-crisis clinician-only CARE response citywide within 72 hours by emailingCAREprogram@CityofChicago.org.