Sheriff’s Office Contracts For Mental Health Support Services
 | Author:
Linda Kent, MT43 News Staff Reporter
MT43 News Correspondent |
Linda Kent
MT43 News Staff Reporter
Broadwater County Sheriff Nick Rauser informed the Broadwater County Commission Aug. 14 that his office has signed a two-year agreement with Avel, a real-time mental health crisis assistance company. The preliminary contract is funded by a grant from Many Rivers Whole Health at no cost to the county.
“That’s one of the struggles: getting someone who’s in a mental crisis but they just need help, getting them to the proper resources,” Rauser said.
Once the service is active, Rauser said, sheriff’s officers dispatched to assist residents experiencing a mental health crisis will be able to contact Avel via their computers or phones. Avel responders will then provide triage.
“The professionals will be able to recommend to us whether that person needs to go to a behavioral health unit or they’re going to be OK,” Rauser said. “Then they will have the resources in Broadwater County set up in their account. So, they can then set that person up with resources. . . . Then we can just step away, unless they need to go to behavioral health unit because they are still a danger to themselves or someone else.”
Officers and department staff who find themselves in need of support can also use the service.
“If we have an employee who’s struggling, they can get on there and talk to a professional,” Rauser added.
Many Rivers is working to make funding for the service permanent, at no charge to the county, once the two-year trial contract is over, Commissioner Lindsay Richtmyer commented.
“It’ll help us out,” Rauser said. “Spending less time on-scene and taking individuals to behavioral health. . . . We’re not the experts in that, so we usually just err on the side of caution and take them (to Helena).”
Information about Avel services will be added to the Broadwater County Sheriff’s Office website (/https://www.broadwatercountysheriff.org) as well as the county website.
