Will County Public Health and Safety Committee members heard a detailed presentation on a Joliet Fire Department program that pairs crisis‑trained paramedics with an outpatient clinical network intended to reduce repeat mental‑health 911 calls and connect people to definitive care.

John Cook, deputy chief of human services for the Joliet Fire Department, and John Lukancic, director of the Office of Emergency and Disaster Management for the City of Joliet, described a program launched in July 2022 that focuses on three barriers Cook and Lukancic identified: access, transportation and cost. The program trains paramedics in “crisis first aid” to stabilize people in the field and then refers them to a network of clinicians — including telehealth services — and an office in Joliet provided by Silver Cross Hospital at 1051 Essington Road.

“We figured out... access, transportation, and cost,” Cook said, describing how the department partnered with a private vendor, ThriveWorks, and Silver Cross Hospital to create same‑day or rapid appointments by telehealth or in person. The City of Joliet initially provided $400,000 to fund the first year of services and again provided funding for a second year, Cook said. Lukancic told the committee that the program subsequently secured state grant funding intended to expand the model across Will County; he described that grant as roughly $1.9 million in state support.

Cook and Lukancic said the county rollout is already yielding measurable community impacts in Joliet. Lukancic said suicide rates in Joliet dropped about 31 percent from 2022 to 2023 and a further 27 percent from 2023 to 2024, and he attributed the downward trend to the program’s work while acknowledging the statistic is descriptive. “Starting in July 2022... mental health care for all Joliet residents was cost free to our residents,” Cook said, describing how telehealth, a clinic office and fee support reduced barriers for uninsured or underinsured residents.

Presenters said the program has reduced recurrent 911 mental‑health calls by helping so‑called “super users” get continuity of care; Lukancic said community paramedics and social workers now follow up with people who were previously frequent callers and have seen sustained improvements. Cook and Lukancic reported the program is averaging roughly 1,000 appointments a month through ThriveWorks for Joliet residents and that the initiative is being discussed with the Will County Health Department and other partners for countywide expansion.

Committee members asked operational questions about capacity and vetting of clinical partners. Board member Hickey asked how the program vets private clinicians; presenters said clinicians are licensed in their states and that the City monitors appointments, surveys patients after visits and holds regular meetings with vendors. Members asked how the state grant would be managed and how countywide provider capacity for Medicaid or uninsured patients would be identified; presenters said they are seeking additional partners and continuing to work with the Will County Health Department and the newly formed Will County Community Mental Health Board.

Board member Costa praised the program’s collaborative approach and noted that several fire districts are studying the model. Committee members emphasized that while the presenters sought to share the model, they did not present a formal funding request to the committee at this meeting. Committee members asked for program statistics and for a county briefing on how the state grant would be deployed if awarded.