TERRE HAUTE, Ind. (WTWO/WAWV) — A mental health roundtable was held on Thursday at the Terre Haute Chamber of Commerce.
Local leaders say statewide collaboration will allow for greater access to mental health resources in our community. Terre Haute Mayor Sakbun was a co-host of the round table and commented on the benefits to public safety.
“It’s really having a conversation, saying ‘hey, how can we work with an individual, whether they have a substance use problem or a senior’, and say, ‘we’re here to help, we have some referrals, we can work with you,’ and stop them from calling an ambulance the second, third or fourth time, so it’s more of a proactive model to public safety,” Sakbun said.
Mayor of Noblesville Chris Jensen was also a co-host for the event.
“We launched a program called Noble Ax several years ago where we identify at risk individuals in our community, get them the resources that they need, prior to be becoming part of their legal system or hospital system,” Jensen explained. “Focused on mental health and preventative care in the community.”
This program is modeled off the success of Noblesville’s Nobleact program and is designed to assist in the costs of starting or expanding mobile integrated healthcare programs and mobile crisis teams in Indiana.