The Community Response Teams and Youth Community Response Teams are unique co-responder partnerships supported by the Board of Douglas County Commissioners, Law Enforcement, Fire/EMS, and Mental Health Providers.
The teams follow up on each call and offer a case management component to ensure people connect to services following a crisis. As part of our commitment to care coordination, work is underway to electronically network our immediate partners, especially hospitals.
The CRT program launched in 2017 with two teams. In 2019 two additional teams were added allowing coverage of the entire county. As of 2023, there are nine teams – including officers and deputies from Castle Rock Police, the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office, Lone Tree Police, and Parker Police – with response capability seven days a week. Two of those teams focus solely on youth response, covering every school – public, private, and charter – in Douglas County.
As of September 2023, these nine Community Response Teams have served more than 7,500 individuals – including 1,000 youth. The teams have responded to more than 3,900 active 911 calls and received more than 6,400 referrals. About 1,400 people have avoided an unnecessary visit to the emergency room, and 589 have avoided jail.
Support for the CRTs is provided through ongoing funding from the Board of Douglas County Commissioners and participating law enforcement and Fire/EMS jurisdictions provide personnel and equipment to the community teams as in-kind program contributions. The Douglas County Community Response Team program also receives a Colorado Office of Behavioral Health grant.
The Douglas County Mental Health Initiative Community Response Team program is the recipient of an ICMA 2018 Local Government Program Excellence Award in Community Health and Safety.