Laura Montagna and EPD provide CIT training for 34 Humboldt law enforcement, tribal safety personnel, healthcare providers and mental health professionals

 

This press release was issued yesterday by NAMI Humboldt and Laura Montagna. I received it last night and decided to publish it today when there was a chance more people would read the information. 

"A successful multi-agency Crisis Intervention Team (CIT) training has been completed in Humboldt County, bringing together 34 law enforcement officers, tribal public safety personnel, healthcare providers, and mental health professionals from across the region. The 40-hour training was coordinated by Laura Montagna on behalf of NAMI Humboldt and Eureka Police Department.

CIT training is a nationally recognized best-practice program that prepares first responders to identify signs of mental illness, apply de-escalation techniques, and connect individuals in crisis to appropriate mental health resources. Studies consistently show CIT-trained officers are less likely to use force during mental health encounters and more likely to connect individuals to treatment.

Participants represented a broad coalition of Humboldt County public safety and healthorganizations, including: United Indian Health Services (UIHS), DHHS Behavioral Health Clinicians and Peer Mentors, Arcata Police Department, Yurok Tribal Police Department, Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office Deputies and Correctional Officers, CARE Team members, and Eureka Police Department Officers and personnel.

The training was made possible through the generous support of numerous community partners. Speakers and proctors were provided by: Eureka Police Department, Blue LakeTribal Police Department, Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office, CARE, Redwood Coast RegionalCenter, YAI.org, Aegis, Probation, Cal Poly Humboldt, the Department of Veterans Affairs,Yurok Tribal, and Redwood Coast Regional Center.

Facility tours — a key component of CIT training — were hosted by the Betty Kwan Chinn Day Center, Rescue Mission, Waterfront Recovery, Sempervirens, the HOPE Center and Humboldt County Correctional Facility.

NAMI Humboldt provided all meals, including catered lunches from Cassaro’s Catering, coffeeand snacks. Each participant received a comprehensive binder of local mental health and substance use disorder resources.

“I am incredibly proud of the community we built in the room,” said Laura Montagna, CITCoordinator. “Seeing officers, tribal officers, sheriff’s deputies, behavioral health clinicians, and peer mentors all learning together and from one another is exactly what our county needs.

When we train together, we respond better together — and that means better outcomes for the people we serve.”