Dane County Executive Joe Parisi announced last week that the cities, villages and towns adjacent to the City of Madison will be eligible to apply for the new $200,000 in county funding for expansion of the Community Alternative Response Emergency Services (CARES) mobile crisis program outside of Madison.
Parisi included $200,000 in his 2024 county budget to help jumpstart new partnerships for the City of Madison's crisis response health program and bring it to communities outside of Madison. According to Parisi, the 2024 grant funding will be available to cities, villages and towns adjacent to Madison. This includes:
- Cities of Fitchburg, Middleton, Monona, Sun Prairie, and Verona;
- Villages of Cottage Grove, Maple Bluff, McFarland, and Waunakee; and
- Towns of Cottage Grove, Middleton, Sun Prairie, Verona and Westport.
Currently, CARES responds to non-violent behavioral health incidents in the City of Madison. The service is dispatched by the Dane County 911 Center and helps stabilize situations that don’t require law enforcement response. CARES teams de-escalate crises in the community and can help refer individuals to treatment services as appropriate, precluding a need for a full emergency response of police, fire, and emergency medical services. This also reduces reliance on hospital emergency departments for behavioral health needs.
CARES is staffed by a team that includes a Madison Fire Department community paramedic and a crisis worker from the Journey Mental Health Center.
Since starting in 2021, CARES has responded to more than 4,000 calls for service in the City of Madison.
Communities can apply for a Dane County CARES expansion grant until April 17. Money will be awarded in mid-May.
Click here to go to the Dane County Purchasing web page with application information.
Read more below:
The Cap Times (3-25-24)
County opens up CARES program to communities outside Madison
