Maine has a vital need to establish non-police mental health crisis teams. These teams, (specializing in treating and managing individuals experiencing mental health crises), offer crucial intervention without triggering the often detrimental consequences associated with traditional law enforcement involvement.

As data from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration indicates, approximately 1 in 5 adults in the United States (47.6 million people) experience mental illness in a given year, and a significant fraction will face a crisis requiring immediate intervention. If implemented in Maine, non-police mental health crisis teams can better serve these individuals by attending to their mental health crisis with compassion, understanding, and appropriate professional skills, reducing the potential for unnecessary confrontation or injury. Too many times people get hurt. 

We call upon Maine's government and health authorities to prioritize such an implementation, and significantly increase mental health support in times of crisis. Please sign (and share) this petition to vent your support.