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June 9, 2022 | AppenMedia.com | An Appen Media Group Publication | Ser ving the community since 1976
Police get aid in behavioral health By JEFFREY ALBERTSON newsroom@appenmedia.com DUNWOODY, Ga. — Dunwoody Police will have new backup, following the approval of a co-responder contract to take effect this summer. The contract approved paying $89,992 to View Point Health for a full-time licensed clinician who will be on-call to provide assistance as part of a Police-Mental Health Collaboration (PMHC) co-responder program. The contract will be paid using American Rescue Plan (ARP) II Act funds for up to three years. The clinician will be responsible for behavioral health evaluations and crisis intervention along with signing a certificate authorizing transport to an emergency receiving facility. “A lot of the work will revolve around case management and follow-up,” Dunwoody Police Chief Billy Grogan said. “The whole idea is to help people get the services they need so they don’t become involved in the 911 call process again.” Grogan mentioned two incidents where a co-responder program would have assisted. One was an expectant mother of twins who overdosed at a drug treatment facility in January. She was administered three doses of Narcan and transported to a hospital. She overdosed this month and passed away in a restaurant bathroom. Police used two doses of Narcan and an AED. Another person has attempted sui-
Cultural centers may be in line for local dollars By JEFFREY ALBERTSON newsroom@appenmedia.com
JEFFREY ALBERTSON/APPEN MEDIA
Dunwoody Police Chief Billy Grogan addresses the City Council with details about a contract for a clinician to help officers deal with calls involving mental health and substance abuse issues. cide twice in the past three weeks. The clinician will be on-site at City Hall after Dunwoody Police and View Point Health agree to a schedule. Emergency on-call assistance is available on weekends and holidays at no additional cost. “The PMHC would establish a full scope of behavioral health services to individuals considered to have behavioral or emotional challenges or drug dependency issues in order to eliminate or limit the need for police officers to
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respond to those in a mental health crisis,” the contract said. It also establishes a mobile crisis response team and provides a case management team as needed. In a May 23 memo, Grogan said that officers routinely respond to suicide attempts, drug overdoses, homelessness or mental health crises. “Because of the prevalence of these calls, the department has emphasized
See POLICE, Page 8
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DUNWOODY, Ga. — The Dunwoody City Council is eyeing a $2 million fund match to spur new capital projects at the Dunwoody Nature Center and the Spruill Arts Center. Both sites would receive $1 million to assist in construction projects, provided they are able to match city funds. The funds were discussed at the May 23 meeting and are expected to appear on the consent agenda for the June 13 meeting. Spruill Arts Center would use the money to expand classroom space at the Chamblee Dunwoody Road facility to meet rising community demands. The arts center offered 764 classes and served 8,147 adults and student last year. Still, another 449 students remained on waitlists and could not participate, costing the center $100,000 in revenue, according to one estimate. The estimate also said the expansion will add $494,000 in revenues along with the capacity to serve an ad-
See PROJECTS, Page 12