The city of Madison announced the expansion of services from the Madison Fire Department’s Community Alternative Response Emergency Services (CARES) program to the city of Sun Prairie beginning Feb. 3. This expansion is made possible through an agreement between both cities and Dane County.
First implemented in Madison in 2021, the CARES program offers a resource for addressing behavioral health emergencies by integrating medical and behavioral health care at the onset of crisis intervention. CARES helps to improve outcomes for individuals experiencing a behavioral health care crisis and divert patients away from emergency rooms and jails.
The CARES teams consist of a Madison Fire Department community paramedic and a Journey Mental Health crisis worker, both trained to respond to nonviolent behavioral health emergencies that do not require law enforcement. Services are available weekdays from 8 a.m.–9 p.m. and weekends from 10 a.m.–8 p.m.
To learn more about the CARES program, click here.
