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City of Madison

CARES Celebrates 5 Years Providing Alternative Emergency Services in Madison

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Madison's Community Alternative Response Emergency Services program, popularly known as CARES, turns five years old on September 1, 2026.

CARES has been warmly embraced by the community and enthusiastically supported by local leaders since its inception. 

Developed specifically to address acute behavioral health emergencies that are non-violent in nature, CARES aims to provide timely care that is responsive to a person's specific needs. 

The program celebrates this milestone anniversary as it also approaches 15,000 total calls for services. CARES teams have helped nearly 9,000 people since September 1, 2021. 

We're grateful to all who have supported CARES from the beginning, and to all who continue to invest in this vital program today. Thanks to your support, we've seen CARES grow from one team serving just the downtown area to three teams responding across all of Madison and Sun Prairie.

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Lisa Becher, Division Chief of Mobile Integrated Health, Madison Fire Department

CARES aims to connect people with the resources they truly need based on the nature of their behavioral health emergency. The program's commitment to collaborating with community partners, hearing the needs of each patient, and responding with appropriate treatment options has led to less reliance on hospital emergency departments and law enforcement.

We created the CARES program to divert non-violent behavioral health calls from law enforcement and toward community paramedics and mental health specialists. This approach has proven to be incredibly effective. Over the past five years, CARES has served thousands of people, meeting their needs in the moment and connecting them to resources in the community. CARES is a great example of how local government can innovate to provide our community with the services it needs.

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Madison Mayor Satya Rhodes-Conway

CARES response teams consist of one Madison Fire Department community paramedic and one Journey Mental Health crisis worker. These teams possess the standard licenses and certifications for paramedics and crisis workers, but they have also completed additional, specialized training in crisis intervention, suicide prevention and risk assessment, cultural competency, de-escalation, and trauma-informed care.

While Journey has provided mobile crisis response in the community for decades, dispatching behavioral health responders to 911 calls expands access to emergency mental health care and helps to ensure that individuals in crisis receive support that aligns with their needs.

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Sarah Henrickson, Clinical Team Manager, Journey Mental Health

CARES is Wisconsin's only 911-based alternative behavioral health response program. Its continued success is a reflection of the community's desire for alternative emergency services and the lasting impact that can be achieved through effective partnerships.

When someone calls 911, they're often reaching out in a moment of fear or uncertainty. For the past five years, CARES has provided the team at Public Safety Communications (911) with an option to send the right kind of help at the right time. CARES is equipped with the specialized support that provides the safety they are in need of. It's changed lives, and it strengthens our community.

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Pete Zallar, Behavioral Health Call Diversion Supervisor, Dane County 911 Public Safety Communications

Madison is emerging as a national leader in emergency-based behavioral health response and is the subject of research led by the Harvard Government Performance Lab.

When is CARES available?

CARES responds to calls in the City of Madison and City of Sun Prairie weekdays from 8:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. and weekends/holidays from 10:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. 

How to request CARES

If you or someone you know is experiencing a non-violent behavioral health emergency, call 911 and ask for CARES. Requesting CARES does not guarantee they will respond. The CARES teams may be on other calls, out of service, or the Dane County 911 Public Safety Communications Center may decide the call requires a different response.

CARES team members standing in a park

CARES team members with Sarah Henrickson (left), Journey Mental Health Clinical Team Manager, and Lisa Becher (right), Madison Fire Department Division Chief

Departments:

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