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Local News | Claremont OKs $175,000 for mental health responders in nonviolent cases

Inland Valley Daily Bulletin - 4/15/2022

Apr. 15—Claremont city leaders have approved continued funding for a team of mental health professionals that aids law enforcement to better address nonviolent, noncriminal public safety issues.

The Psychiatric Assessment Care Team, or PACT, was created to respond to specific public safety calls using trained professionals from Tri-City Mental Health, a nonprofit that provides mental health services in Claremont, La Verne and Pomona.

While a police officer accompanies the team in the field, the mental health experts take the lead on certain calls for assistance, such as responding to reports about homeless individuals. The program launched in April 2021, a couple months after the City Council gave its blessing.

The program has been hailed as a success by city leaders, but an annual premium of $200,000 in excess liability insurance put Tri-City in a bind.

As approved in 2021, the PACT team was exclusively funded by Tri-City's 1991 realignment funding, which is the nonprofit's most limited financing source, according to a report prepared for the City Council earlier this week.

Tri-City has spent about $150,000 of the realignment funds to employ two full-time employees, one licensed clinical therapist and one licensed psychiatric technician. Both are stationed on-site at the Claremont Police Department.

Unsuccessful efforts to identify alternative funding solutions led Tri-City to announce it would temporarily suspend the PACT program while continuing to work with the city to find a solution.

When the city became aware of those plans, it asked Tri-City to reconsider "as it is the shared goal of the city of Claremont and (Tri-City) to continue the PACT program without disruption," according to the report to council.

The city proposed contributing $175,000 toward employee salaries and benefits and excess liability insurance, which represents 50% of the total program costs. Tri-City would cover the remaining costs, under the proposal.

In a unanimous vote Tuesday, April 13, the City Council approved establishing a cost-sharing arrangement with Tri-City for the PACT program for 2022-23 and beyond. The total costs will be mutually agreed upon by both entities for subsequent fiscal years.

"This cost-sharing agreement is reflective of our partnership with Tri-City and the value that this program has brought to our residents and visitors," Assistant City Manager Katie Wand said at the meeting.

The city will use federal coronavirus aid to cover its share of the program costs through 2026.

City Manager Adam Pirie praised PACT, calling it "another level of service that traditional police services may not provide."

"Our Police Department may not always be as equipped as mental health professionals to address mental health problems, particularly when they are dealing with nonviolent incidents," Pirie said Tuesday. "Having the alternative to traditional police service has been a great benefit to us."

In a six-month public evaluation of the program in September, of the 118 calls to which the PACT team responded, 57, or 48% were for unhoused individuals.

Part of PACT's responsibilities include following up with those it interacts with on police calls, and with those responded to by officers during the time PACT isn't on shift. During follow-ups, individuals are connected with appropriate ongoing services.

After the vote Tuesday, Councilmember Jennifer Stark said she hoped to see the program grow and "enhanced in the future."

Mayor Jed Leano also applauded the collaborative efforts of the Claremont and Tri-City.

"The PACT program success is a sparkling example of interagency collaboration to address one of our city's critical needs," Leano said. "We are thankful for that."

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