By CHRIS JENSEN
Guest Columnist
I have the honor of serving as the mayor of my hometown, Noblesville, Ind., the ninth-largest city in the state. Our community has seen significant growth and development in recent years, including how our police and fire departments serve the needs of our community.
As a mayor, my top priority is keeping our community safe, and investment in public safety is critical to this end goal. Over 50 percent of our operating budget is for public safety, which includes our NobleACT program.
In 2020, my first year as Mayor of Noblesville and navigating a global pandemic, the City of Noblesville launched the NobleACT program, a proactive and sustainable mental health collaboration aimed at strengthening community-based responses through a partnership with the police and fire departments and area service providers.
Since its inception, the NobleACT program has responded to over 6,000 calls for help to appropriately address issues like housing, mental health episodes, challenges associated with aging and premature birth, and addiction issues with the help of a crisis intervention specialist on staff and K-9 therapy dogs Luna, Carbon, and Sadie. Together, we’ve reduced the number of repeat calls to emergency services from some residents needing support while connecting them with a full spectrum of resources that meet their long-term needs.
This unique approach empowers police officers, community paramedics, and a crisis intervention specialist to recognize the intersectionality between public health and public safety that diverts those in crisis away from the criminal justice system towards more appropriate resources designed to meet their needs.
This approach has worked in my community, and I believe it can and should be implemented in cities, towns, and counties across the state, with each community tailoring the program to meet the community’s priorities and unique circumstances.
We are now working with state lawmakers to pass legislation that will empower more local governments to use the NobleACT model to address similar challenges in their communities, just as Noblesville has prioritized the mental health of our first responders and community through NobleACT.
To this end, Senators Scott Baldwin, Michael Crider, and Ed Charbonneau authored Senate Bill 10 (SB 10), the community cares initiative grant pilot program. The Senate unanimously passed the bill and now heads to the House for consideration. I look forward to working with the House Sponsors Chairman Barrett and Representatives Baird and King to help get this bill across the finish and to Governor Holcomb’s desk.
The community cares initiative grant program will ultimately empower eligible local units to apply for an annual grant to fund the critical infrastructure needed to start or build these customized response teams in rural and urban communities. The goal is that the program’s success will ultimately pay for itself by cutting costs through alternative forms of intervention and assistance.
It’s time to move beyond erasing the stigma around issues such as mental health and addiction and implement the future of public health and safety services. The program introduced in SB 10 will do just that, and I’m grateful for the leadership of the Senators and Representatives working to get this across the finish line. In addition to the authors previously referenced, 32 Senators have co-authored SB 10, demonstrating the broad interest and support from districts across the state.
We have proven its success in Noblesville, and we hope to see it implemented statewide and eventually nationwide.
Proactive public health and safety services that save lives should be a priority for all communities, with a focus on putting concepts and ideas into action. I look forward to seeing success across other communities and having our state leaders’ support to prioritize mental health initiatives through SB 10. This bill is a substantial step forward in investing in our people and the future of integrated public health and safety.
Chris Jensen serves as the mayor of Noblesville.