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A new partnership between Grand Lake Mental Health Center and local law enforcement is changing the way police handle situations involving mental health issues. iPads are being used to help connect citizens in need with mental health professionals who can offer  assistance quickly — a good thing for both the patient and the officer  handling the call.

 

Bartlesville Police Department Detective Jim Warring says that police respond to calls almost daily involving citizens who are  experiencing some type of mental health issue. Warring worked on the implementation of the program. Citizens were taken to the hospital, and then a mental health professional was contacted and would arrive at the hospital to conduct an evaluation.

 

The new technology is made possible thanks to the efforts of Grand Lake  Mental Health Center, which recently won a national award for the program.

 

Warring says it's important to note that while most people experiencing a mental health issue are not dangerous, if the police have been contacted for help, violence is often at least a possibility.