Larry Alexander, speaking for the Community Crisis Response Team, told Harvey County commissioners on July 29 that the group has changed its name from a chaplain‑centric model to the Community Crisis Response Team (CCRT) to reflect broader duties and to pursue additional grant funding. Alexander said the CCRT now covers multiple tiers of service — disaster relief, peer‑mentor response and suicide prevention/intervention — and is working with the sheriff’s office, the health department and local partners on Waymaker Academy services.

“We felt that that, we needed to change that to community crisis response team,” Alexander said, citing changes in the program over the past 15 years and new opportunities to apply for private and grant funding. He described success stories of Waymaker participants who completed treatment, returned to outpatient care and engaged in work and recovery supports.

At an earlier point in the meeting, Harvey County health department director Lynette Reddington clarified funding and contract details raised during the warrant‑check discussion: the Waymaker pilot program had been funded with opioid‑settlement dollars and the county’s contract supporting that pilot — which included a contract with Prairie View for a therapist, peer‑mentor services and evaluation — concluded on June 30. Reddington said the pilot included funds for a therapist, peer group services and a small chaplain portion tied to detention center work; separate Prairie View contracts also support other mental‑health activities such as free community mental‑health first‑aid classes.

A warrant‑check entry showed a payment to Prairie View related to the Waymaker program; Reddington confirmed the Waymaker pilot is closed out as of June 30 and that the opioid‑settlement dollars were part of the contract previously approved by the board. Alexander said CCRT and Waymaker‑related activities remain active in the community through partnerships with local providers and the sheriff’s office.

The update was informational; no formal action was taken. Commissioners thanked Alexander for the briefing and asked staff to provide program reports as appropriate in future agendas.