City of Clarksville receives $750K Center for Mental Health Services Projects of Regional and National Significance grant from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration

Clarksville police department co-responds with mental health/crisis providers. - the clarksville mobile crisis team partnership with centerstone (c‑mctp) will expand clarksville, Tennessee’s mobile crisis co‑response capacity to divert individuals from arrest, detention, and emergency department use while reducing suicide and overdose risk. The project will serve 600 individuals ages 5+ over four years (150 annually) experiencing mental health or substance use crises. The focus population reflects montgomery county’s demographics: 73% adults and 23% youth, with equal gender distribution. Clinical characteristics include high rates of any mental illness (26.5%), youth suicidal ideation (15%), substance use disorder (26.5%), opioid use disorder (2%), and co‑occurring conditions (9%), with an estimated 29% of individuals with smi encountering law enforcement in their care pathway. C‑mctp strategies include expanding co‑response staffing, strengthening community partnerships, enhancing post‑crisis support, and increasing access to evidence‑based trainings such as cit, mhfa, and calm. Two‑person teams will deliver in‑person assessment, stabilization, safety planning, referrals, follow‑up services, crisis mapping, protocol development, and coordination with state and local partners. Project goals are to build sustainable crisis co‑response infrastructure; increase community capacity to address behavioral health threats; improve crisis system performance; expand access to evidence‑based treatment; and support long‑term financial sustainability. Measurable objectives include screening and referring 100% of clients, achieving 60% service uptake, reducing arrest/detention by 30%, resolving 70% of responses in the community, diverting 40% from arrest, and increasing crisis‑response knowledge among 60% of trained individuals.