Mayor Scott to spend $1.5 million on expanding Baltimore's behavioral health services
BALTIMORE -- Mayor Brandon Scott announced on Monday that he would be steering an additional $1.5 million towards Baltimore's behavioral health services, city officials said.
Scott said the funding would go toward expanding the behavioral health response efforts of Baltimore Crisis Response, Inc., also known as BCRI.
The money is expected to be spent on a regional behavioral health call center, substance abuse programs, and community outreach efforts, city officials said.
Scott made the announcement alongside City Councilman Zeke Cohen, BCRI Executive Director Johnathan Davis, and Behavioral Health System Baltimore CEO Crista Taylor.
"This investment of city funding reflects a shifting of our values," Taylor said. "It shows that we believe mental health crisis services should be part of our community emergency response alongside fire, police, and hospital services."