Mental health co-responder program arrives to El Paso County

The El Paso County Sheriff’s Office is launching a new program to respond to mental health calls.

The program is called Coordinated Unit Response to Behavioral Health Calls, also known as CURB. The partnership between Memorial Hospital and the sheriff’s office will consist of one full-time clinician and about four back-ups.

Deputies say at least one out of three calls they respond to result in a mental health situation.

Sheriff Bill Elder says the project aims to keep people with mental health issues out of jail and in treatment.

“We’re looking to continue that care and to provide those services before they end up in jail,” he said. “If we can interrupt at least 100 people from going in and out of that jail facility, that lowers our daily population.”

The program is a five-year pilot and is being funded by the Colorado Department of Human Services.

It got the funding back in April but they will begin receiving calls on the first of July.