It's, um, buenos dias, buenos dias, buenos dias, good morning, everyone.
My name is Dr. Arturo Carrillo, Deputy Mayor for Health and Human Services.
It is my pleasure to welcome you this morning to this important press conference.
Today we have an exciting update about the future of the CARE program.
This update builds on the citywide expansion of CARE introduced on May 13th
and it ensures that Chicagoans will now have increased access when they need it the most.
Today's announcement is particularly meaningful for me
after a lifetime dedicated to advocating to expanding mental health services in Chicago.
Today we come together with community to enact this vision.
Thank you all for being here today.
A big round of applause for yourselves.
In my role as Deputy Mayor,
I work to bring together city departments and community to deliver on Mayor Johnson's plan to expand mental health access across this city.
What makes this moment so historic is that we are creating a new lane to build direct crisis response within the 9-1-1-1 ecosystem.
system. We are continuing to build public mental health infrastructure to respond to anyone
in distress and provide the follow-up care for Chicagoans for generations to come. And
now it is my distinct pleasure to introduce to you our next speaker, Alderwoman and Chair
of the Health and Human Relations Committee, Rosana Rodriguez-Sanchez.
Good morning everybody. Rosana Rodriguez-Sanchez here. I am the elder person of the 33rd Ward and
I'm the chairwoman of the Committee on Health and Human Relations and I have been working
on the possibility of responding to mental health crisis without police and taking care of people
wherever they need it since 2020.
This is a dream come true for me and for community.
We started this work with a coalition of organizations
and people who wanted to reopen the mental health centers
after they were shuttered by both Daley and Rame Manuel's administrations.
And we knew that there was a different way to be able to have government
that cared for people and we went against all of these neoliberal policies and we got our resources
back and i want you to hear this because a lot of times people will tell you once you lose it
it ain't coming back it did it did come back because we made it come back and now we are going
to have this beautiful system that is going to be able to meet people where they're at and care
for them. I cannot stress how hard it is to rewire a system that was created for policing
everything, where we have been throwing all of the social problems that we have, all of the crisis,
all of the moments that people experience because of lack of care. We have been throwing that at
police and police cannot manage it. And now we have a system that can actually meet people where
they're at and care for them. And that only happens because we have a leadership in this
administration with Mayor Brandon Johnson, who decided that he was going to take this on
and he was going to make it possible. So I am so excited to be here today to announce
this new chapter
for this program
and I want to bring
to the podium my friend
and the mayor
who said yes and kept
his promise, Mayor Brandon Johnson.
Thank you so much.
Good morning, everyone.
Thank you to our chair
of this
such a critical committee.
Rosanna
Rodriguez-Sanchez for her leadership.
Can we give her another round of applause?
for her commitment to treatment and not trauma.
Thank you all for joining us on an exciting day for Chicago.
We continue to expand the CARE program by extending its hours from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m.
This expansion of CARE's hours is the result of my commitment to hone the full force of government to better serve the people of Chicago.
It is also the result of incredible coronation that was only made possible by the citywide expansion of care that we announced this May of this year.
I want to recognize the hard work and dedication of my Deputy Mayor of Health and Human Services.
Please give it up for Dr. Arturo Carrillo.
Thank you, Dr. Carrillo, for carrying out this vision.
A vision that was done in partnership with those who are standing here today.
So thank you all.
For far too long, Chicago has had an absence of accessible mental health services,
particularly for low-income and black and brown Chicagoans.
And for too long, that lack of access to mental health care has been criminalized.
And we have asked our law enforcement officers to fix problems that can and should be solved by trained mental health professionals.
There exists a long-standing legacy of disinvestment in mental health care that has had a terrible cost on the well-being of those that are most in need.
Research has demonstrated that areas of the city where previous administrations closed mental health centers
are some of the areas that, to this day, receive the highest volume of behavioral health-related 911 calls.
Expanding access to mental health care in Chicago has been a top priority for me since coming into office.
It's not just personal, though it is personal.
It's about public safety and making sure that people in crisis are not threats to themselves or others
and can get the help that they truly need and deserve.
It's about ensuring care can be provided to people before the crisis escalates.
And most importantly, it's about healing.
We are expanding care thanks to the tireless work of people like Autowoman Rodriguez-Sanchez,
countless community organizers, and the city employees who prioritize and implement trauma-informed
best practices every single day. With the care teams, we are building something entirely new
in city government, a system for proactively helping residents and healing our communities.
This latest expansion will alleviate the burden of calls that police and firefighters receive for
mental health crisis and social-emotional distress, enabling them to focus on their
core duties of protecting our communities while mental health professionals focus on mental health.
And this expansion builds upon my administration's work to both rebuild and create systems of
support that should exist in our city and be accessible for everyone.
And when I came into office, I established a working group made up of experts, community
leaders and city departments to find pathways to expand mental health.
And with their recommendations, citywide partnerships and my administration's investments, we expanded
CARE's reach to all 77 community areas.
We reopened the Roseland Mental Health Clinic and expanded its services.
We have reopened the Pilsen Mental Health Clinic and integrated mental health services within Legler Regional Library Branch to expand mental health access on the west side.
Thank you to Alders, Byron Ciccio-Lopez, and Chairman Irvin, who have been leaders in these efforts to continue to expand care.
And with the expansion of CARES HOURS, we take a major step forward in fueling the promise
made to the people of Chicago, and we fulfill a key recommendation outlined in the People's
Vision for Mental and Behavioral Health Report developed by my administration's working
group.
The expansion of CARES operations from the early morning into the evening, 8 a.m. to
10 p.m., ensures that we can support more people that are in need.
We can now explore partnerships with youth-serving organizations to better support students during the daytime,
and we can respond to individuals experiencing a crisis in the night.
When a care team responds to a call, they offer de-escalation.
They make mental health assessments, refer individuals to services,
and provide transport to community-based supportive spaces upon request.
This program ensures that we no longer criminalize and traumatize individuals in crisis,
but instead we are
Offer them pathways to heal and this work is not only compassionate but also critical to our city's future.
We cannot build a safer, more affordable city that we're working towards if residents are hindered by cycles of harm and trauma.
And so we're committed to this work.
We will continue to staff up our care teams, expand operations and invest in city-run and community-based mental health services.
The diverse group of leaders standing with me today, representing city departments, communities, and organizations from across our city embody the citywide commitment to this incredible and meaningful work.
I'm grateful to continue partnering with all of you to expand mental and behavioral health care in Chicago.
And finally, to any resident in any neighborhood who needs support for mental health professionals,
who need it from the individuals who are trained to provide that support,
you can request a care team when you call 911,
or you can make non-emergency requests by emailing careprogram at cityofchicago.org.
There is someone available and waiting to service you.
This is your program.
Please reach out when you or someone you know is in need of support.
There is a lot to be distressed about these days, but there's also hope, Chicago.
And there are so many resources and services and incredible mental health professionals available citywide that can help,
including those right here at the Lawndale Mental Health Center.
Under my leadership, I'm going to keep fighting to ensure that that help is made always available.
So thank you all so much. God bless you.
God bless the greatest freak in the city in the world.
Thank you all very much.
And with that, please welcome to the podium Dr. Garth Walker, the commissioner of CDPH.
Good morning, everyone.
Good morning.
Thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you.
I appreciate you, appreciate you.
So it's hard to talk about public health without talking about humanity.
I truly believe public health is our roadmap to demonstrating humanity.
When I think about today, I think about 10 years ago as a physician
when I had to manage the death of one of my close friends as a rising resident physician.
And as a physician, I have many protective factors.
I have family income. I have a lot of protective factors that allows me to be ready for that
situation. But truly, it wasn't enough. And when I think about that moment, I think about what was
the death to my friend. It was in a context where they were dealing with a mental health crisis or
with a loved one. What would happen if care was there? What would happen if care was available
to be out there to meet them where they are. Fast forward two years later, I served as a White House
fellow to work on the Surgeon General's Youth and Mental Health Report. And the data was shocking.
But what we know about data that it takes a long time to put into action. And what I really want
to highlight today is the beauty of when research and action come together and is able to demonstrate
that level of humanity for a large city
like Chicago. So thank you everyone
that's been able to be able to put that all together
and do that today.
Public health
is about meeting people where they are.
It's about being in the community.
In our department, you'll see a host of programs
where we are out in the community
demonstrating research, demonstrating
science, demonstrating empathy,
demonstrating humanity.
And this is the diamond
of it all, to be able to demonstrate
that for our city. So I want to
thank you all for being here today and thank you for the partnership across our city departments
the advocates everyone part of chicago that believes in this mission and even if you don't
believe in this mission we'll be able to demonstrate that mission for you as we're able to execute on
that over the next couple of years and as part of the long-term strategy for the public health
department so thank you and i'm honored to be part of this team just like the 96 bulls i'm honored
to be here and win with everyone together. Thank you. And I'd like to pass it to the future of
Chicago, some of our future leaders, Darius Martinez. Good morning, everyone here. My name
is Darius Martinez. I am 18 years old and currently a first year at National Lewis University.
I've been organizing with Brian Parker.
neighborhood council for the past three and a half years why i've organized with treatment not trauma
and youth healing shy campaigns fighting to reopen our public mental health centers and have non-police
crisis response i am incredibly happy at the news of our care program expanding its hours
it's progress in the right direction that helps build up our vision of having care teams available
24 7 whenever people need them but it wasn't just me that pushed for longer hours it was our
community as a whole we all got together and organized to make sure our voices were loud
enough to be heard. Under Mayor Rahm Emanuel, half of our city-run mental health clinics were
closed. With the mental health campaign treatment, not trauma, we fought to reopen them, but just
reopening them wasn't enough for our communities. We wanted even more. Under Mayor Brandon Johnson,
we've been able to not only reopen multiple mental health clinics, but we've also been able to
expand the mental health clinic services in public libraries alongside with the care program.
This expansion of the care teams from the morning to the night will save lives across the city.
Even with the progress we made, though, our fight still is not over yet.
We have a long way to go to get even more resources and support for those directly impacted.
Currently, caravans are not allowed in school property, and Youth Healing Shy is pushing for school board to change that.
Students should be allowed access to these resources as they navigate these stressful years and have to support their education on top of that.
However, with the progress that we have currently made, widening the hours that people can call caravans for, I know that the demands can be met.
Thank you all for listening to me, and I want to thank Bryant Park Neighborhood Council for showing me that my voice can be heard and to make sure that it is heard.
Oh, yes. Sorry about that.
All right. And I'll be introducing our next speaker, Candace Coleman.
Chicago.
I am so excited to be standing before you.
My name is Candace Coleman, and I'm a disability rights and disability justice activist in the city of Chicago at Access Living.
And today is such a beautiful moment because it is full circle.
Several years ago, I sat at many tables with people with lived experience who expressed how they wanted to see their care taken into account by the city of Chicago.
And what they said was they wanted treatment and not trauma.
And so as a coalition member of Treatment Non-Trauma, today just feels so full, such a full circle moment to say that how we envision the world is how we're seeing it today.
And so this moment marks a moment in time where people who envision the care that they wanted actually come into fruition.
And so thank you for the city of Chicago.
Thank you to the care team.
And thank you for the Treatment Non-Trauma Coalition for continuing to fight.
because as I stand up here, I'm not standing up here by myself.
I'm standing up here with a team of people who believe in this vision.
And so the fight is not over.
We must continue to fight to continue to get all of our mental health clinics open.
And, again, the expansion of the care team is just an example of what it looks like
when people fight and we win.
So thank you.
Thank you.
Thank you, Candace.
Thank you.
Thank you very much.
That concludes our speaking portion for this announcement.
Thank you to all of the partners that are here today.
Again, to all of our elders, thank you to Bishop Dr. Horace Smith, who is here.
Our commissioner for Department of Family Support Services, Commissioner Green, is here as well.
The entire coalition.
Thank you.
Go ahead, Keith.
Mayor, everybody, we have time for one question.
We'll start with our on-topic questions.
Go ahead, Mayor.
Good morning.
Good morning, Mayor.
Good morning, everyone.
And regarding this center, where are we in reopening the other centers?
We've heard several speakers talk about that.
What is your plan to try and reopen those centers?
And also you mentioned that here they could get services to go to get more treatment.
But the challenge of finding beds for those with mental health needs is very real.
How do we address that?
Transportation to where?
And that's that's the challenge that many of the ERs have. There's no place to send folks.
So twofold, the your plan when reopening the clinics and then how to deal with beds or facilities that can treat some of these individuals long term.
Yeah, thank you for that question. You know, as you heard, you know, full expression today, you know, previous previous administrations were incredibly hostile to this type of care.
shuttering mental health clinics and disinvesting in the very communities that have been historically
left behind. The three that we have reopened, you know, that was a fight.
get that done. In fact, there were still some members of city council who didn't believe it
was a worthwhile investment. And they said that people would not attend or utilize these services.
Well, lo and behold, since 2023, over 600,000 appointments in our mental health clinics,
which is proof positive that people want them. You've heard from our advocates, our work is not
done. So we're going to continue to fight and organize around progressive revenue so that we
can restore our public mental health clinics. That's something that I'm committed to doing.
You know, and as far as, you know, providing more support and care, it's why expanding these
operations and hours and working with our commissioner, CDPH, to create a dashboard so
that people can actually see the type of care that's being delivered and ways in which we can
strengthen. And one of the things that you just named around housing, it's why my approach has
always been comprehensive, whether it's investing in our one shelter system, building more non-congregant
settings. So individuals who need transitional housing will have spaces that are dignified,
that they can grow and heal in. And then, of course, building more units. Look, this is a
brand new entity of government that is being stood up with the expansion of care at a time in which
we're still recovering from the failures of past administrations. The commitment, though, of
mine is one that clearly speaks for itself. I made a promise to reopen mental health clinics
and I kept that promise. I made a promise to take care out of pilot and make it citywide.
I kept that promise. I made a promise to extend the hours and I kept that promise.
And so my promise is to continue to make sure that we're invested in public and mental health.
The last thing is, as you know, I passed the social media amusement responsibility tax. It's
a tax on big tech companies that challenge these big corporations to pay their fair share. And
And those dollars are going to be solely dedicated for mental and behavioral health care
so that those services can never be interrupted ever again.
Hi, Mayor Johnson.
My question is, with the expansion of the care program,
can you tell us a little bit about the numbers of how many people you think will now be able to get these services
and how many teams will there be, how many vans, sort of those logistics?
Well, we're staffing up. We fully expect to be fully staffed within the next couple of weeks. Is that right?
So by mid-October, we'll be fully staffed. And so we're really encouraged by that.
Again, this is a brand new entity of government. We are expanding even the definition of first responders.
In terms of how many people will be able to access, anyone in the city of Chicago that needs behavioral and mental health care services,
I want you to call and request services because the fact that we have over 600,000 people who have made appointments,
if that's indicative of what's possible, it's proof positive of why these investments are so critical.
It's one of the reasons why I continue to invest in our public schools as well to ensure that mental and behavioral health care services are there,
social workers, counselors, psychiatrists and psychologists.
You know, healing is an ongoing process.
That's not something that happens with one exchange or one interaction.
But what we do know, harm can be a lifetime if we do not have positive interactions.
And that's the transition and transformation that we are undergoing in this moment.
And so I'm encouraging all of the people of Chicago.
There's a brand-new service that's now been expanded and extended, and it's being funded.
And I want the people of Chicago to know that our care and love for them and their healing
is the most important thing that I can do for them as their mayor.
Thank you.
Good morning, Mayor.
Good morning.
We know that if somebody calls and requests care, then they will come.
What about in the case where somebody might need services from care but does not specifically request them?
We know that was a challenge in the past.
Yeah, you know, listen, it has been a challenge.
And as I indicated before, a newer service that we want more people to know that's available to them.
What I am grateful for is that, you know, our full first responders operation is clear that this is available.
You know, police officers, they'll put the request in as well.
And they're relieved when our care team shows up and they're grateful for it.
One of the reasons why we were so insistent about making these services citywide
is because there have been times where police officers and firefighters
have sought the care, but it wasn't available.
But now we have rectified that, and we know that care doesn't...
you know, pick an hour or a day. And that's why these investments are so vital. So what I would
ask of you all to do, do the people of Chicago a favor. Don't just report on this press conference.
Use your platforms to regularly allow people to know what's available to them. That's a challenge
for all of us here, not just the media, that everyone should use their social media platforms
and we should use the media to let people know that there is care out there for you.
So Chicago, know that this administration is going to continue to show up for you
to make sure that the people receive all the services that they rightfully deserve.
Good morning, Mayor.
Good morning.
Yesterday, a CPD lieutenant spoke at the CARE hearing and said her CIT team has made 20 co-responses
where police and CARE go to calls together because they felt that teamwork would give a better outcome.
Could you clarify, is this teamwork part of your long-term vision for the alternate response?
Listen, it depends on the circumstance, the situation, right?
Right. The first responders is a full force of government approach.
Look, what we do know is that the vast majority of these calls that come through do not require a police officer.
Right. We know that. And that's why these expansion, this expansion is so critical.
But, you know, in the event, you know, that a situation calls for additional services, you know, we're not limited.
Right. This is the full force of government approach. But again, the sensitive way to be able to handle, you know, mental health crisis is the first of all, not approach the scene as a crime scene.
If someone is in crisis, you know, this sort of automatic conclusion that a 911 call can only result into someone responding to a crime is just not the case.
Right. And so we're going to continue to develop, you know, this brand new entity of government.
And we're going to learn from all of these exchanges.
But the most important thing that I want people to know is that the service is available to them.
The people of Chicago now have care and treatment, and we are moving away from this historic, degraded, inhumane process of trauma.
No more in Chicago, not as long as I'm mayor of this great city.
We're going to transition to all three questions.
Hi, Mayor.
Do you have a choice for quarterback for the Bears?
No, just kidding.
On a serious note, obviously you're aware of the meeting.
Was your administration briefed on Roger Goodell's meeting with Pat Ryan and Pritzker and the lawmakers?
And Pritzker is now saying the veto session is the right time for lawmakers to take up a stadium deal.
What's your message to Chicago lawmakers considering that would move the Bears out of Chicago?
two Arlington Knights. Well, first of all, you know, my message is still the same, right, that
the Bears belong in the city of Chicago. And I'm grateful that conversations, you know, have
continued. You know, I've never, you know, closed my door to this conversation. In fact, I've been
the most consistent Bears fan in the entire state of Illinois, you know, calling for them to remain
in Chicago, right? You know, when I ran, remember when I ran for mayor, there was no other candidate
that made a commitment to keeping the Bears in Chicago.
And, you know, for some time, it's been an arduous, drawn-out process.
But it's imperative that all of us are pulling in the same direction.
This press conference is a demonstration of the effectiveness of city government
when we're all pulling in the same direction.
And so whether it's the governor or the General Assembly, the Bears, developers,
There's one site that matters, the site that is going to continue to grow our economy.
And, you know, I'm grateful that the Bears are obviously, you know, having a good season thus far.
And we're hoping for, you know, Caleb to get back to full strength.
And, you know, as the city continues to grow and as the Bears continue to win,
it's more proof that you need more Johnsons in charge.
Go ahead, Sarah.
Can you just answer Craig's question?
I already answered it.
No, he just was wondering about the brief, if you guys were briefed on the meeting.
The meeting happened yesterday, right?
Yeah.
We're always going to remain in conversation with all of the stakeholders.
Okay.
Now my question.
Just trying to help my colleague.
Could you explain why you're proposing a mass settlement in the Guevara cases
and also, like, how does it fit into the budget?
it well well listen first of all you know these legacy cases have have have been a strain on our
city for a very long time and let me just name the first most important fact individuals were harmed
by a system that should be protecting and serving, right?
And we are obviously moving away from that, you know, detrimental past.
And I'm grateful that our police department has embraced constitutional policing
and restoring confidence between law enforcement and community.
It's why the expansion of care is so critical,
so that law enforcement is not playing out of position, right?
That's essential to building safe and affordable communities.
You know, in terms of, you know, these settlements, you know, look, you know, it's it has been a strain, you know, on our budget between pensions and, you know, these these settlements.
It's it's the it's the it's those two dynamics that are creating the weight in terms of its impact on our budget.
There's no secret here. It's it is problematic. Right.
You know, and when you inherit, inherit, inherit a mess, the people of Chicago expect me to fix it.
You know, so, you know, we have put protective measures in place to make sure that behavior like this doesn't go unchecked.
But as we look to rectify the sins of the past, it's unfortunate that these individuals have been harmed by the system, and we have to do our part as government to ensure that forms of reparation to at least help recognize that harm was done responsibly for the taxpayers,
but also in recognition of the detriment that it has caused to so many families.
Thank you all very much.
Congratulations again, Chicago.
Let's go get the care.
Get the care that you need.