Cruising the streets of Madison is an ordinary gray SUV with a small white logo on an extraordinary mission. It belongs to the Community Alternative Response Emergency Services, or CARES, program, which was launched in September of last year with the goal of improving care and response to people experiencing behavioral health emergencies. This nondescript emergency vehicle allows emergency workers to de-escalate non-violent behavioral crises without the stresses of sirens and flashing lights. Yesterday evening, CARES hosted a virtual presentation discussing the results of their efforts so far.
Operating Budget Amendments Propose Expanding CARES Program
It’s budget week for the City of Madison! Increasing funding for the police alternative response line – CARES – is the subject of two separate amendments in the operating budget. Alders are split, though, on how to fund that increase in funding. WORT’s Antonio Barreras Lozano reports.
Dairy Drive Community to Continue through 2023; Mayor Releases Propose...
The Madison Common Council unanimously voted last night to extend services at the Dairy Drive Tiny Home community through 2023. The Dairy Drive Tiny Home campsite was first set up […]
Updates on Initiatives to Improve Public Safety in Madison
Mayor Satya Rhodes-Conway led a Public Safety Briefing this morning along with Traffic Engineer Yang Tao, Police Chief Shon Barnes, and Madison Fire Department Assistant Chief for Medical Affairs Ché […]
CARES Program Adds Second Team and Second Location on West Side
The city of Madison announced today that the city’s CARES program is expanding, adding a second response team and a second station to serve Madison’s south and west sides. The […]
CARES Program Expands City-Wide
Since first launching last fall, the Madison CARES program has already responded to almost 250 calls for service, where paramedics and crisis workers respond to mental health emergencies across the […]
