COVID 19 Resources:
Mental Health Resources
- University of Minnesota: Managing Fear and Anxiety for Healthcare Workers
- Ramsey County residents who are experiencing stress and mental health symptoms as a result of COVID-19 are encouraged to call the county's Crisis Team for support and resources. The county's two crisis lines continue to operate 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
- Children's Mental Health Crisis Line: 651-266-7878
- Adult Mental Health Crisis Line: 651-266-7900
- CDC Helping Children Cope During and After a Crisis
- CDC Printable Coping Strategies Activity and Coloring Book
- PBS How You and Your Kids can De-Stress During Coronavirus
Community Outreach And Stabilization Unit (C.O.A.S.T.)
In March of 2018, the Saint Paul Police Department established the Mental Health Unit. The program was based on two nationally recognized police mental health collaborative best practices; a co-responder program and a case management program.
In 2019, the Unit was challenged with creating a chemical dependency program and a homeless/unsheltered outreach program to respond to the community's needs and expectations. To best reflect the Department's programming goals and vision for the future of the program, the name was changed from the Mental Health Unit to the Community Outreach and Stabilization Unit, or C.O.A.S.T.
The COAST Unit consists of the Mental Health Resource Team (MHRT), the Recovery Access Program (RAP) and the Police Homeless Outreach Program (PHOP).
The Unit enables the SPPD to connect people in crisis with the care they need, helping to significantly reduce mental-health-crisis-related arrests and repeat calls for service.
With a concentration on community outreach, the unit seeks to be part of the conversation before tragedy occurs—and possibly prevent or disrupt the behaviors.
Mental Health Resource Team (MHRT)
The Mental health Resource Team, or MHRT, is a collaborative response between the Saint Paul Police Department and our community based resource partners. Comprised of our partners from Regions Hospital and People Incorporated, our embedded Licensed Clinical Social Workers work with specially trained Mental Health officers to respond to in-progress crisis related calls for service in our Co-Responder Program. They conduct follow up and outreach efforts in our Case Management Program. The goal is to connect individuals in need of community based resources to services.
One of those resources is The East Metro Crisis Alliance. Others are listed below.
St. Paul police mental health unit doubles social worker staffing - StarTribune.com (click link for article).
For more information on SPPD's MHRT program, contact the C.O.A.S.T. Unit.
Recovery Access Program (RAP)
Saint Paul Police Officers are a part of the first responder network that arrives to overdoses caused by drugs and alcohol. The Recovery Access Program, or RAP, is an effort to connect individuals with a chemical dependency to community based programs and supports, encouraging health and wellness. The program partners with the expertise of programs during outreach efforts following an overdose event. The goals of the RAP program include accurate collection of data, outreach and follow up to calls for service, engagement of resources and appropriate responses to potential epidemics.
St. Paul police now tracking drug overdoses to spot trends, get help to people - TwinCities.com (click link for article).
St Paul police responds to 5 fatal overdoses in 48 hours period - KARE11.com (click link for article).
For more information on SPPD's RAP program, contact the C.O.A.S.T. Unit.
Resources:
Our community has a number of services which may be useful to those in need of mental health resources.
- Ramsey County Crisis: 651-266-7900
- Children’s Mental Health: 651-266-7878
- Veteran’s Crisis Line: 1-800-273-8255
- United Way's 211 program
Ramsey County Adult Mental Health Urgent Care Center, 402 E. University.
Did you know?
1 in 5 people will experience a mental health disorder in their lifetime. Do not suffer in silence, help is available. Visit the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) website (https://www.nami.org/).
The St. Paul Police Department is a proud participant of the International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP) One Mind pledge. The One Mind Campaign seeks to ensure successful interactions between police officers and persons affected by mental illness. The initiative focuses on united local communities, public safety organizations, and mental health organizations so that the three become "of one mind."
