The coalition was launched in 2020 by LSU Health Shreveport and aims to develop a community-based mental health crisis response system that ensures public safety, provides effective treatment to those who need it, and offers an alternative to arrest or hospitalization.

(MENTAL HEALTH RESOURCES IN ARKLATEX)

LSUHS officials say many 911 calls involve noncriminal concerns, but police officers are routinely dispatched to respond to those calls, leading to potentially harmful consequences. National data shows that 53 to 75 percent of 911 calls do not involve a medical emergency or criminal behavior and therefore can potentially be resolved by civilian-led advocates. This could potentially benefit people with behavioral health needs, as traditional first responders may not be able to provide this type of care. Typically, 911 calls involving behavioral health issues end in incarceration or hospitalization.

PREVIOUS REPORTS – BREAKDOWN: The frontline response to the mental health crisis

In Caddo Parish specifically, LSUHS says there were 299,939 emergency calls to 911 in 2023. Each of these calls requires a police and medical response, but many do not involve criminal behavior or medical needs. This places a burden on first responders and once again demonstrates the need for a mobile crisis response team to help reduce pressure on first responders.

CADA was selected to provide mobile crisis response in Northwest Louisiana, which includes Bienville, Bossier, Caddo, Claiborne, DeSoto, Natchitoches, Red River, Sabine and Webster parishes.

To promote the use of CADA services, LSUHS launched the Crisis Response Leadership Summit, led by Shreveport Mayor Tom Arceneaux and LSUHS Chancellor Dr. David Guzick. The objective of this summit is to strengthen the crisis response partnership.

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