Southeast Alliance Community Care Team answers the call to address mental-health concerns

The Southeast Alliance Community Care Team is successfully saving first responders thousands of hours working cases related to mental health concerns.

From August 2022 to September 2024, the Care Team spent 2,404 hours managing mental-health cases in Mesquite, Balch Springs, Seagoville and Sunnyvale.

The Southeast Alliance Community Care Team was designed as a supplement for first responders. It started in 2021 as a single team comprised of a paramedic and social worker and has since grown to three teams. The program has served 4,369 individuals since 2021.

"The issue of mental health is a high priority for all of our City Councils and each of the four member cities," said Mesquite City Manager Cliff Keheley. "When mental-health professionals respond to these emergencies, it ensures that those in distress receive the right care and free up our first responders to focus on public safety. This approach strengthens trust, enhances well-being, and saves lives."

The National Institutes of Health reports that 57.8 million adults live with some form of mental illness. And a study released in 2022 by the American Psychological Association found that at least 20% of all 9-1-1 calls involve someone with a mental-health or substances-use crisis.

The Southeast Alliance Community Care Team program not only reduces the amount of time public safety officers are on scene in its member cities, but it also strives to reduce mental-health related emergency room visits and hospital stays and connect people with appropriate outpatient mental-health care.

The Care Team also can provide referrals for psychiatric care, emergency financial assistance, medical concerns, substance abuse programs, job seeking assistance and to resources to help the homeless.

"Our communities are safer and healthier when we address mental-health crises with the expertise and compassion they require," said Melissa Carr, City of Mesquite Behavioral Health Program manager. "Care Team members are specifically equipped to de-escalate crises and offer therapeutic support. This ensures that individuals receive targeted care, follow-up care and the services they need for long-term recovery."

The Southeast Alliance Community Care Team was initially funded through a grant from Dallas County but is now completely supported by member cities.