88R910 JGH-D
By: Johnson S.R. No. 568
R E S O L U T I O N
WHEREAS, For the past five years, the Rapid Integrated Group
Healthcare Team Program (RIGHT Care) has proven to be an effective
and humane response to mental health emergencies in the city of
Dallas; and
WHEREAS, Initially developed by the Communities Foundation
of Texas with the assistance of a grant from the W. W. Caruth, Jr.
Fund, RIGHT Care is a partnership of the Dallas Police and
Fire-Rescue Departments, the Meadows Mental Health Policy
Institute, and the Parkland Health and Hospital System; these
organizations work together to shift the response for
behavioral-related 9-1-1 calls away from law enforcement and to
paramedics and health care systems; and
WHEREAS, RIGHT Care seeks to keep those individuals
experiencing mental health crises out of jails and emergency rooms
by responding to each crisis with a team that is specially trained
to de-escalate the situation, stabilize the individual on the
scene, and either direct them to outpatient resources or transport
them directly to a behavioral health facility; and
WHEREAS, Each RIGHT Care team includes a paramedic to perform
a physical examination and a field assessment of the need for
emergency treatment, a behavioral health clinician to evaluate the
individual's mental health and determine their needs, and a peace
officer to oversee the scene and address law enforcement issues; in
addition, the 9-1-1 call center retains a behavioral health
clinician on staff to assist callers undergoing a mental health
crisis, identify the most appropriate response for the caller, and
assist the team in the field; since its launch as a pilot program in
January 2018, RIGHT Care has grown to encompass several
multidisciplinary teams across Dallas, who answered more than
11,000 behavioral crisis calls in 2021; and
WHEREAS, This innovative and dynamic program helps free peace
officers to make the best use of their time and training responding
to more traditional law enforcement calls, while providing citizens
who are facing mental health crises with effective and
compassionate care from skilled and caring professionals; now,
therefore, be it
RESOLVED, That the Senate of the 88th Texas Legislature
hereby commend the RIGHT Care Program for its contributions to
mental health care in the community and extend to all those
associated with the initiative sincere best wishes for continued
success with their important work; and, be it further
RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be
prepared for RIGHT Care as an expression of high regard by the Texas
Senate.