Chicago – January 09, 2025
Mayor Brandon Johnson opened the Roseland Health Hub on Wednesday, a major step in his effort to expand Chicago’s bricks-and-mortar mental health system.
Johnson cut the ribbon at the the long-shuttered clinic surrounded by many of the same activists who led the decade-long charge to reopen a dozen city-run mental health centers closed by past mayors. The opening marked a milestone for Johnson’s promised “Treatment Not Trauma” plan, a vision that faces future challenges posed by the city’s financial troubles.
“No matter what ZIP code you reside in or who you are, you deserve accessible, quality behavioral health care, and my administration will keep working to ensure every Chicagoan gets what they deserve,” Johnson told the crowd packed into the building’s lobby.
The mayor also announced Wednesday that Crisis Assistance Response and Engagement (CARE) teams will now operate in two additional police districts, bringing the total to six districts. The CARE program sends specially trained first responders without police to emergency calls involving mental and behavioral health issues.
Johnson also is adding a “special cases” CARE team that will respond to such emergencies citywide based on requests emailed to the Chicago Department of Public Health at [email protected]. The special team could help the city respond to people who are often seen in crisis around a neighborhood or at an encampment when a police response isn’t appropriate or efficient, said CDPH Commissioner Dr. Olusimbo Ige.
