In recent years, the number of emergency calls from people with mental illness in Detroit has increased.
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The number of mental health workers responding to these calls has also increased. These workers are more likely to respond to crisis situations alongside police officers in Detroit and across the state. But there are also officers who respond to such situations without police officers at all.
The Detroit Wayne Integrated Health Network (DWIHN) established a mobile crisis service last year to provide immediate assistance to people in need. Today, the organization’s mobile crisis service operates 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
DWIHN’s Mobile Crisis Director JaKeya Kellom and Public Affairs Manager Michael McElrath joined in to discuss this. The Metro on Wednesday. According to Kellom, calls to the DWIHN crisis service rose from 30 in December to 141 in July.
“Sometimes when you see an increase in numbers, you might think, ‘Is this good or bad?’ For us, though, it’s a good thing because it lets us know there are people learning to use our service and they know it’s available,” Kellom said.
Use the media player above to listen to the full interview with Kellom and McElrath.
More headlines from The Metro on August 28, 2024:
- According to the Michigan FAFSA Tracker, only 45% of Michigan graduates in the class of 2024 have completed the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) form. Jill Marecki, director of the nonprofit Detroit Regional Dollars for Scholars, was on the show to talk about the organization’s scholarship program and an award from the Educational Credit Management Corporation to help students file for FAFSA.
- It’s an exciting time for football fans as the start of the NFL season draws ever closer. In fact, it’s so close that NFL teams only made their final roster decisions on Tuesday. Justin Rogers, founder of the Detroit Football Network, has joined The Metro to discuss what we can expect this season.
- Fred Durhal, councilman for Detroit’s 7th Ward, appeared on the show to discuss the recent opening of the new Tireman-Minock Park as well as the Motor City Match program to support local entrepreneurs.
Listen The Metro weekdays from 11 a.m. to 12 p.m. ET on 101.9 FM and Streaming on demand.
