CAHOOTS Act hopes to spread crisis intervention model nationwide

Sen.

Ron Wyden introduced a bill to the U.S. Congress Wednesday hoping to encourage states to create crisis intervention teams, modeled after Eugene's CAHOOTS.

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Senator ron wyden's new 'cahoots act' is named after eugene's crisis intervention service... a model he hopes to spread across the country.

Kezi 9 news reporter chris lueneburg shows us why wyden hopes the cahoots model could be a critical element of law enforcement reform.

Crystal says she was at the eugene farmer's market when her friend came to her in crisis.

"he said, 'i'm feeling really suicidal.'

I said, 'what do you want me to do?'

He said 'call cahoots.'" as always-- two cahoots members arrived... a medic, and a trained crisis intervention worker.

"they came and sat in a circle around us."

Crystal had some concerns about how the team handled some conflict that arose -- but is glad that her friend wound up safe.

"he got what he needed and he's been doing a lot better since then."

She believes that with proper funding and training-- the cahoots model could work in other communities.

"in eugene, there has been great coordination and support from both mental health and law enforcement.

It's one of the reasons i think it can be a natural model."

Senator ron wyden says the model saves money and improves public safety-- both major goals in his 'cahoots act.'

"if states want teams like the ones that go around in these vans-- this bill would encourage them to start the programs using increased medicaid funding."

The bill would use federal medicaid funds to pay states 95 percent of the program's costs.

White bird clinic says medicaid funds are a good fit because crisis intervention can save the progam major costs... "i think it's a recognition of how much of what we are working on here is about public health.

How much of the cahoots response is addressing really profound and system wide issues."

Director of consulting tim black says the clinic is working with cities across the country who are interested in the model... "we have a really significant opportunity to talk about the work we are doing in lane county."

The bill was introduced to the senate finance committee- which can eventually put it before congress for a vote.

Reporting in eugene,