Mental Health Task Force schedules October festival, May workshop on alternatives to 911

Lindsay Wallick, chair of the Mental Health Task Force, told committee chairs the group has scheduled its second annual mental health awareness fall festival for Oct. 18 and plans a "Responding with Compassion" workshop on May 15. "We were able to put together a few events...We already have that date in place for this year, which is gonna be October 18," Wallick said.

Wallick said the May 15 workshop, organized with Officer Amador and several partners, will bring the Crisis Intervention Team Coalition, Thriving Minds and WestCare Response to explain alternatives to calling 911 and the county programs that can send licensed mental health clinicians to de-escalate crisis calls. "Basically...if anybody here has a family member or somebody that they know that's dealing with mental health and they are to have a crisis call, the person is in crisis instead of calling 911, these other options that are available through Miami Dade County that are free, that they will send a licensed mental health therapist to assist and deescalate the situation," Wallick said.

Wallick said organizers also plan to include information about police department training on crisis response at the workshop and invited broad participation. The task force said it hopes to grow the festival and the provider participation this year and will coordinate any new initiatives with council approval.