Santa Rosa’s civilian crisis response team, InRESPONSE, is facing major staffing shifts as local and state funding begins to dry up.
The Press Democrat reports a preliminary city budget calls for eliminating six paramedic positions on the 24-person team due to a massive city deficit and a looming 50 percent funding cut from Sonoma County.
Despite losing the paramedics, Police Chief John Cregan says the team will maintain its 24-hour coverage using mental health clinicians and specialized outreach navigators to handle nonviolent crisis calls. Officials are currently rushing to secure Medi-Cal certification by July 1st to unlock federal reimbursements and stabilize the program’s long-term future.
A final vote on the budget is scheduled for June 16th.
