Carroll County Mental Health Advocates started in 2008. For 10 years it was volunteer driven until Jodie Goodman took a leap of faith and accepted a part-time position with no benefits, made possible by a grant from the Community Foundation. It now has grown into a team of four with tremendous community support.
One of the newest initiatives—the Mobile Crisis Unit—received a grant from the Community Foundation in 2020 to fund all the medical supplies and testing equipment. These allow the staff to admit those in need during calls.
“When a resident in our community is in a mental health crisis, our police officer who is also a licensed paramedic and our licensed professional counselor are ready. The vehicle has all the supplies and resources to respond and give the person any medical care they need,” Goodman said.
Out of 175 calls, all but one were able to avoid arrest through getting the help they needed immediately and continued support from the Crisis Unit afterward. The Crisis Unit has been a community-wide effort, bringing together stakeholders from the city and counties to make this innovative program become a reality.
