Community Alternative Response Emergency Services (CARES)
CARES Is Making a Difference
View our data dashboard to see the impact of CARES.
About the CARES Program
CARES is a specialized service provided by the City of Madison. It's designed to be an additional available resource for non-violent behavioral health emergencies that occur in our community.
What are behavioral health emergencies?
Emergencies may include situations where someone is experiencing suicidal thoughts, depression, anxiety, agitation, confusion, isolation, intoxication, or other behaviors, thoughts, or emotions that are unusual for the person.
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 from 10:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m.
How do I 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 needs a different response.
Who responds when CARES is called?
A community paramedic from the Madison Fire Department and a crisis worker from Journey Mental Health respond in a red van marked with the CARES logo. Lights and sirens are not used during a CARES response.
What is the goal of a CARES response?
CARES connects patients with timely care that is responsive to a person's specific needs. The goal is to divert people away from emergency rooms and jails if needs can be met by utilizing other appropriate resources.
What types of services does CARES connect patients to?
CARES can connect patients, on a voluntary basis, to peer recovery coach, case management, the Aging & Disability Resource Center, free legal clinic services, recovery and rehabilitation centers, housing services, and counseling services.
The History of CARES
The CARES program was established on September 1, 2021. This initiative was made possible with support from the Madison Fire Department, Madison Police Department, the City of Madison, Dane County Department of Human Services, Journey Mental Health Center, and Dane County Public Safety Communications (911), with additional support from the City of Madison Information Technology Department.
Modeled after successful patient-centered programs like STAR in Denver, Colorado, and CAHOOTS in Eugene, Oregon, CARES teams consist of one Madison Fire Department community paramedic and one Journey Mental Health Center crisis worker.
These teams are trained and equipped to respond to non-violent behavioral health emergency calls that do not require law enforcement. Their training curriculum includes 40-hour crisis intervention training through the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI), cultural competency training, de-escalation training, suicide prevention and risk assessment, trauma-informed care, and more, exceeding the standard in behavioral health training for paramedics.
Journey Mental Health crisis workers have been trained on dispatch radio protocol and 911 response, as well as other Madison Fire Department policies and operating procedures.
In addition to responding to 911 calls, the CARES teams spend considerable time building relationships throughout the community at local resource centers, shelters, and mental health care facilities. Between active calls for service, the teams also follow up with their patients to ensure they have been connected with the services they need.