Over the past month, Wil Morris, CEO of Sanilac County Community Mental Health (Sanilac CMH), has provided iPads to all the law enforcement agencies in Sanilac County to facilitate the connection with Sanilac CMH Crisis Services.
There have been a total of 61 iPads shared to date with a total of 80 iPads to be distributed by the end of this process. Additionally, this technology is in the process of being circulated to our County’s EMS/first responders to have the same immediate connection.
When the process is fully implemented by March 2023, law enforcement and EMS will have the ability to quickly connect with a Sanilac CMH crisis worker around the clock to assist in consultations about specific mental health situations they may have, or to directly assist the individuals needing care. The connection will be the same as the telehealth connection Sanilac CMH has in place with the local hospital.
The funding for this program was made available by a 2021 grant from the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services, with the grant to go towards supporting the Sanilac County Health Department with staffing for their COVID vaccine clinics; offering additional Mental Health First Aid trainings to the community; and enhancing crisis response services to all the citizens of Sanilac County.
The partnerships enhanced with this grant have reportedly resulted in very positive outcomes to the residents of Sanilac County and strengthened the partnerships between these Sanilac County organizations.
