Gainesville Police Department Partners With Meridan To Answer Mental Health Calls

Gainesville Police Department (GPD) and Meridian Behavioral Healthcare (Meridian) recently announced a new partnership together. Through the partnership, a mental health clinical professional from Meridian and a police officer trained in crisis intervention will crisis calls.

It is anticipated that the partnership will reduce the number of people with mental illness who end up in the criminal justice system due to behavioral issues. The project is being funded by the City of Gainesville and Lutheran Services Florida Health Systems, along with other organizations.

Meridian is a private, non-profit organization with roots in the community mental health movement, which began . . .