AMES, Iowa — A new program in Ames has the goal of helping people in crisis get the help they need.
It's called Alternative Response for Community Health, also known as ARCH.
The program was started by Mary Greeley Medical Center, Ames Police Department and Iowa State Police.
Nick Toornstra, an EMS supervisor and a coordinator for ARCH said it was started “as another response to 911 calls for people who are in crisis.”
Toornstra said that, with the way the program is set up, people will still call 911.
Dispatch will then decide if an officer is best suited to respond to that call. If not, then an ARCH team is sent.
Each ARCH team consists of a paramedic and a social worker. The team will arrive in a marked ARCH vehicle with first-aid supplies and other resources.
The calls the team responds to are for people experiencing a mental health crisis, homelessness or food insecurity.
Toornstra said the game changer with this program is the added expertise of a social worker.
“The social worker will take over the care and begin evaluating what kind of resources they’ve already used, what kind of resources are available," Toornstra said. "And [then] try to get them plugged into those resources and make phone calls."
An EMS supervisor said the hope for this new venture is that, with social workers being able to intervene, it will help first responders avoid dropping people off at the emergency room or making unnecessary arrests.
He noted both places that offer little help to people in crisis.
Geoff Huff, the Ames Chief of Police, said this new program will help free up his officers to work on task they're more equipped for.
"So we really do pride ourselves on being really good problem solvers and part of problem-solving, is that you have some time to work on those problems," Huff said. "And anything that we can do to free up time is an advantage not just to the officers but to our citizens.”
Toornstra said ARCH has been in the works for nearly two years and he hopes it'll be successful. Since launching Tuesday, ARCH has responded to three calls.
“Our main goal is to provide better care in a more timely manner," Toornstra said.
It will operate Monday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.