Grand County explores EMS‑based crisis co‑responder team to handle mental health emergencies

Grand County officials and community partners discussed establishing a crisis co‑responder program that would pair an EMS responder with a licensed behavioral‑health clinician to respond to behavioral health calls and provide on‑scene assessment, stabilization and connection to treatment.

Why it matters: County EMS and public health officials told commissioners the county sees growing demand for 911 responses with a behavioral health component. Presenters said an EMS‑based co‑responder team would aim to reduce unnecessary arrests and emergency‑department transports, shorten on‑scene response times, improve safety for responders and get people into treatment earlier.

During a workshop, EMS Chief Austin Wingate said a fully staffed, 24/7 program would cost roughly $650,000–$700,000 per year, with an estimated startup budget of about $125,000 for training, software and a vehicle. He and other speakers said those line items could change — for example, the county may repurpose an existing vehicle — and they proposed blending funding sources: state technology or behavioral‑health grants, municipal contributions, hospital or clinic in‑kind support, and local philanthropic funding.

Public health and the Grand County Hope Fund (the county’s behavioral health philanthropic vehicle) both signaled support. Megan Ladin of the Grand County Foundation said the foundation’s Hope Fund is interested in contributing and in helping identify private donors. County staff said federal and state grant opportunities are being explored and that next steps include producing a five‑year budget model and presenting the plan at the towns’ mayors‑and‑managers meeting to seek municipal partners.

Stakeholder view: Representatives from public health, EMS and law enforcement described how the model could work in Grand County. They said an EMS‑based team (rather than embedding a clinician in a patrol car) fits local staffing and geography better because teams would be mobile across a large county and could handle medical clearance and triage needs in the field.

Board direction: Commissioners expressed support for further planning and asked staff to pursue grant opportunities, prepare fiscal projections for 2026 and bring the proposal to the November mayors‑and‑managers meeting. Commissioners also asked staff to present a draft budget line item for the county’s 2026 budget process so the Board can review funding options during rebuttals and final deliberations.

Ending: County staff said they will proceed with grant applications, coordinate with municipal partners and return to the board with a funding and implementation plan.