CHICAGO (WBBM NEWSRADIO) - A survey of residents from throughout the city found that the vast majority support more investment in mental wellness.
Dr. Arturo Carrillo of the Collaborative for Community Wellness found in the survey that Chicagoans want more non-police crisis responders, and they want the public mental health clinics reopened.
“We can think about a holistic infrastructure that can be created in Chicago to create crisis response in a way that it could be done humanely while also making sure that we can be proactive in preventing crisis and engaging people in their own community settings, without police,” Carrillo said.
Some of that is already happening.
Irma Aragon lost her son to gun violence. She said she learned about mental trauma and that there was nobody except neighbors to help.
“Individuals [who] experience mental health crises should be treated with respect and compassion,” Aragon said.
There will be a hearing on this next week at City Hall and Mayor Brandon Johnson has said he would reopen mental health clinics that were closed in 2012 by then-Mayor Rahm Emanuel.
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