Harris County sheriff launches Project Guardian to improve interactions with residents with autism
9/7/2020 - The Houston Chronicle
A new initiative from the Harris County Sheriff’s Office aims to help deputies avoid causing stress or trauma by alerting them that they’re about to interact with a person on the autism spectrum.
Whether It's Hurricanes Or COVID-19, Disasters Are Driving A Mental Health Crisis8/29/2020 - Texas Tribune
According to a Rice University survey, 50% of Houston-area residents have wrestled with powerful or severe emotional distress since Hurricane Harvey battered the region in 2017.
Disasters are driving a mental health crisis8/25/2020 - The Center for Public Integrity
The nation isn’t ready. The country’s primary aid for mental health after disasters is the Crisis Counseling Assistance and Training Program,
The coronavirus pandemic is still raging in Texas. Its mental health toll will only get worse.8/20/2020 - Houston Chronicle
Harris Center for Mental Health COVID-19 support line: 833-986-1919
Houston police see increase in mental health calls since start of COVID-19 pandemic7/31/2020 - KHOU-11
On the streets of Houston, fighting crime isn’t the only job police officers are doing these days. “We can say we have seen an increase in mental health related calls for service to HPD," Asst. Chief Wendy Baimbridge, with the Houston Police Department, said.
Experts talk mental health as start of school draws near7/30/2020 - The Houston Chronicle
Region 4, in partnership with the Harris Center for Mental Health and the Texas State of Mind/Meadows Mental Health Policy Institute, has trained about 1,900 teachers and staff members in Mental Health First Aid,” Wells said. “But mental health for students is not just a function of dealing with trauma: it also involves helping students develop resilience and life skills.”
Amidst Calls for Defunding Police HPD Dedicates More Dollars to Mental Health Unit7/23/2020 - Reform Austin
Following the death of George Floyd and the corresponding protests about police brutality, there has been a push across the nation, including here in Texas, to defund the police.
Opinion: More iPads, less arrests — Telehealth helps law enforcement deescalate mental health crisis calls7/10/2020 - The Houston Chronicle
While communities across the country are implementing innovative strategies to divert people away from jails and prevent this churn, Harris County is ahead of the curve thanks to a cutting-edge telehealth program — one that could serve as a model for the country.
'The wave of the future': How police and social workers partner up to help those in crisis7/9/2020 - The Houston Chronicle
Michael Hawkins and his partner, a Houston police officer, pulled up to a Memorial City gas station last week, responding to a report of a possibly suicidal man.
AV rises to the challenge’ special: tech for good7/7/2020 - AV Magazine
In healthcare, as in other sectors, the pandemic is accelerating technology adoption. Zoe Mutter examines how innovation has been lending healthcare professionals a helping hand.