Chelan County Behavioral Health team responds to growing requests for intervention

Chelan County Sheriff's Deputy Zach Brunner, left, and Behavioral Health Unit Director Ana Gonzalez.

There's evidence of a growing need for services for those needing mental healthcare in Chelan County. The latest statistics from the Chelan County Sheriff’s Behavioral Health Unit (BHU), showing an average 15 mental health-related crises a day during the month of March.

BHU Director Ana Gonzalez says there were 470 contacts made from requests for service, one in 10 of having previously been offered intervention.

In a report to the Chelan County Commissioners, Gonzalez shared that one in 10 said they were homeless, and 11% were found to be carrying a weapon.

Two of three calls (67.1%) for assistance involve individuals with a mental health issue. People with mental health and substance use accounted for 29.1% of the calls for assistance, and 3.8 % of the March caseload was to assist those suffering from drug use. Statistics show that 78% of the crisis interventions were in reaction to distress requests and 21.9% were proactive interventions. Five mental health checks involved veterans.