Our city council last year approved a new position within our police department as well as the rest of the city administration, and what a great asset we now have with Hannah Anderson.
Mental health is something we all have in common, just like physical health, and we all need to take care of our own and those around us. Hannah’s role is to develop, refer and liaise between the community and the police department when a mental health crisis arises on a call for service. She encourages families to connect or reconnect with resources to access mental wellness services.
Hannah began running as she tracked several agencies to gather information on their policies and procedures, including the Savannah Police Department’s Behavioral Health Unit and the City Sheriff’s Office Crisis Response Team. Richland county.
Hannah mined all 2021 mental health calls to compare to current 2022 stats and to track mental health call trends.
A typical day at the office involves reviewing calls from the previous day and determining which ones she can follow up on, updating mental health call stats, responding to emails and returning phone calls, continuing her efforts networking and following up with clients/families/providers.
On Tuesdays and Wednesdays, she spends her entire shift riding with agents and responding to service calls as needed.
Since being hired, she has carried out 92 follow-ups and completed 210 hours of support with agents. These follow-ups were conducted with clients, their families, mental health care providers and social workers.
Hannah assisted on-site officers with 12 mental health-related service calls. It helps to defuse the situation and establish rapport with the person with mental illness and their family. She collects relevant information such as mental health history, contact details, current providers and any insurance information.
The following day, she will contact the person’s current mental health provider to provide information about our interactions with their patient and follow up with the person/their family to provide information about any resources they may need.
Her role in our city has been so successful that she is now helping Beaufort County create a position similar to hers, assisting with candidate interviews, and eventually training the person hired.
I hope this gives some insight into what our employees do for our city.
If you have any questions about our wonderful town, please don’t hesitate to contact Town Hall at 706-4500 or email Lisa Sulka at [email protected]
