DECATUR COUNTY, GA (WTXL) — A mental health co-responder program in Decatur County is changing how law enforcement responds to crisis calls — and what happens after.
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Kristi Meade, a licensed professional counselor, works alongside the Decatur County Sheriff's Office and Bainbridge Public Safety as the county's co-responder. She monitors 911 calls for signs that someone may be in crisis, helps determine what that person needs, and follows up within 48 to 72 hours of the initial call.
The Bristol Myers Squibb Foundation provided a grant to support the program. Through it, neighbors can be connected to treatment, medication, therapy, housing, and employment. Since the program launched in 2025, the program has seen more than 298 individuals dealing with severe mental illness, substance abuse, and homelessness. Of those, 211 have received some form of treatment, either inpatient or outpatient. So far, 14 percent of neighbors served have been connected to housing and 16 percent to employment.
Meade said the program gives law enforcement more options when responding to people in crisis.
"Law enforcement has basically, they had two options when it came to individuals that were in crisis. It was either take them to jail or take them to the hospital, which then backs up the hospital resources, and it backs up the jail for an individual who may not necessarily need to be there. So, with this program, it gives a lot more options and tools for law enforcement to use in order to deal with individuals who are in crisis."
For neighbors facing a crisis, that follow-up can mean having someone there to help them take the next step, even after the 911 call is over. Meade said the impact isn't just in the number of people the program has reached — it's in what can happen when a crisis is recognized before it turns into something more serious.
She recalled responding to a wellness check on a woman who had multiple prior interactions with law enforcement.
"I remember having an individual that I got called on to do a wellness check because she had had multiple interactions with law enforcement. The neighbors had been calling on her regarding some, you know, kind of bizarre behavior, things like that. Got to her. We could clearly see she was in clear psychosis. She wasn't making rational decisions. The house was in disarray."
The woman ultimately had to be hospitalized, but Meade said the response could have gone very differently without the program in place.
"Had this program not been here and the individual kept interacting with law enforcement, they probably would have eventually either arrested her for destruction of property, criminal trespassing, you know, it could have escalated to something higher where either she got hurt, somebody else got hurt."
Program leaders said the goal of the program is to address the problem behind the crisis and connect neighbors with help that can last long after that 911 call ends.
Crisis Support:
- 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline — call or text 988
- Crisis Text Line — text HOME to 741741
- Georgia Pines Community Service Board — (229) 243-4343
Local Assistance:
- 211 Georgia — dial 2-1-1 for local health and human services referrals
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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