Good morning, buenos dias.
Good morning.
My name is Dr. Arturo Carrillo.
I serve as mayor, deputy mayor for Health and Human Services.
Can we start over?
You don't want it.
Today we are gathered to highlight what can be accomplished with community and government
come together to address the challenges faced by residents in every neighborhood.
This is what co-governance looks like. Alternative crisis response has been demonstrated as a humane
way to serve those struggling with a multitude of challenges that lead to moments of crises
and implementing this model here in Chicago takes real leadership.
this is what having a mayor that represents all of chicago looks like thank you mayor i also want
to thank the community leaders that make up the collaborative for community wellness
representatives of the public health department office of emerging emergency management our city
council members our police district counselors and every chicagoan that has advocated for this
day to come. This is how we provide safety and make Chicago a better place for every
resident in the city.
It is now my honor to introduce our long time champion and chairwoman for the Committee on Health and Human Relations, all the women, Rosana Rodriguez-Sanchez.
Good morning, everybody. I'm going to have to be on my tippy-toes here. I am so happy to be here today. It's been six years since we started a fight to be able to provide mental health crisis response in the city of Chicago without criminalizing people who are struggling, people who might suffer from mental illness,
people who might be dysregulated due to the material conditions that they face in our city
every day. I am incredibly grateful to have been able to fight for this alongside community.
And I am also deeply grateful of an administration that dare to say yes to designing systems of care
that challenge the ways in which we have been doing things before.
Structures many times do not provide for transformation.
And what we wanted to do was a really bold thing.
We wanted to be able to address the needs of people with mental health issues
without using guns, without putting people in contact with the criminal justice system.
But we also wanted that to be public.
And across the nation, we have seen many of these programs be run from nonprofits.
We know what has happened when we stick with neoliberal policies that got government services.
We wanted this to come from government because government has a duty to care for people.
So we do this work with workers who are unionized, with workers who are protected, and that makes
A huge difference in the way in which we deliver this work.
I am immensely proud of this work, and I am also incredibly grateful that we have a mayor that said yes to this work,
that said yes to building systems that can transform our city, and that kept his promise to all of us.
And with that, I will bring to the podium the mayor that said yes and kept his promise, Mayor Brandon Johnson.
Well, good morning, everyone. Thank you to our incredible alder and chairperson, Rodriguez Sanchez. I'm so proud to be here to announce a citywide expansion of the Crisis Assistance Response and Engagement Program.
And this is a promise that we made, and it's a promise that I kept.
The citywide expansion of the CARE program to all 77 community areas
marks the start of a new chapter for safety and health care in Chicago.
For too long, too many people experiencing trauma and mental illness
were met with punishment instead of support.
A 2025 study found that following the closure of half of the public mental health centers in Chicago, there was a measurable increase in the number of police-initiated mental health transports.
My administration continues to rebuild after the legacy of disinvestment and the destruction which has been left by previous administrations who failed to prioritize the well-being of those who are most in need.
And with the announcement of our care program expansion today, we solidify our commitment to prioritizing compassion over criminalization, treatment over trauma, and to meeting our people where they are with the support that they need.
The CARE program provides a non-police response to individuals experiencing mental health crises
by deploying trained mental health professionals and EMTs to deliver appropriate, compassionate care,
crisis intervention, and basic medical support.
The success of our CARE pilot program showed us that this program works,
and it works for our residents, our families, but it also works for public safety.
Today, not only are we expanding the size of the care program by providing operations throughout our police districts,
but we're also making sure that all of our police districts have the full support of our care program to initiate care.
We are expanding the scope of the program to serve individuals experiencing a mental health crisis
and individuals who are experiencing socio-emotional distress.
My administration recognizes the challenges that residents are facing in this moment.
We are beginning to see a reduction in food assistance and health care benefits,
along with rising costs in communities across the nation.
And our communities are overstressed, under-resourced, and have been left hurting.
And that is why my administration sought the approval of the Illinois Department of Health
to expand the size and scope of what Chicago's care teams can respond.
Now care teams will screen for social-emotional distress
and facilitate the response to a more diverse range of crisis calls in neighborhoods across the city.
And this means that no matter what neighborhood you live in or what you're going through,
our care teams can respond in a dignified manner
and connect you to a range of support throughout the city,
including our reopened CDPH-run health clinics.
Today is a big step forward in making Chicago the safest, most affordable, well-equipped city
to support those who are most in need.
But today is not the finish line.
My administration will continue investing in a mental health care system
that centers care, prevention, community-based support in every single neighborhood.
And because this is how we will build a safe and more affordable, vibrant, healthier city, these investments are critical.
And finally, I do want to give special thanks to all of our electeds, our community leaders, advocates and mental health professionals who have made this day possible.
the most fierce champion for this cause, our Chairwoman, Rosana Rodriguez-Sanchez.
Thank you, sister, for your incredible fight and demonstration of power.
And thank you to Alderwoman Angela Clay and the entire CDPH team,
our Commissioner Ige, the Community Wellness Collaborative, Brighton Park Neighborhood Council.
Southside Together, Institute for Public Good, the Jewish Council and Urban Affairs,
Access Living, Alternatives, Impact for Equity, and everyone who played a part in making sure
that this day could finally come to fruition. So thank you all for the belief in and the
commitment to the care program and the expansion of mental health care in the great city of Chicago.
I look forward to the incredible work that we would do together to provide care and the much
needed support for our most vulnerable residents of this great city. Thank you
very much. And with that, please welcome to
the podium, Gabrielle Mitchell. Good morning,
everyone. Thank you, Mayor Johnson, both for your introduction
and for your continued commitment to supporting the CARE team and programs like it.
We really appreciate it. For those of you who might
not know me, my name is Gabby Mitchell. I am a licensed clinical social worker.
I am a true Chicagoan, so Chicagoan, shout out to Bronzeville, a founding member of the
CARE team since its inception in 2021.
I have had a lot of jobs in the mental health space.
This program is so important to me.
It is important because what we know is that mental health does not happen in a vacuum,
right?
Right. Mental health is public health, of course, but mental health is also public safety.
Right. And it also relates to youth development. Mental health relates to resource allocation or a lack of resource allocation.
Right. And I think the thing about this program that is so beautiful is that with us being integrated into the city system,
we can better serve our clients by sort of reaching out and liaisoning and forming those connections rather than giving a referral to this and a referral to that and a referral to this and a referral to that.
we can keep it all together. When I first took this job, I think my idea of what a crisis was
was very narrow, right? Like, I think I was thinking kind of what we see on TV. So someone's
on the bridge, you're talking them off the ledge, someone has a weapon, you're talking them down,
you're de-escalating them. And we do all of that, right? Like, that is mental health. But sometimes
mental health is just helping someone get their link card back, right? Sometimes mental health is
talking to a mother who feels overwhelmed and has no support and sitting with her and helping her figure it out.
Sometimes it's going into a building where federal agents have swarmed down and broken all the windows
and left people feeling really confused and helping them figure out what their next steps are.
Sometimes it's going to a school where there's been an act of community violence and supporting kids and supporting parents.
So I think that there are so many things that go under the window of mental health,
And the great thing about the care team is that when you call 911 and you get this team, whatever your crisis is, we're going to meet you there because everybody's worst day is their worst day.
It don't have to look like my worst day.
So on your worst day, you get this blue van, you're going to get the care and compassion that you need.
And I am so grateful that we have a mayor and a city council that's committed to providing this for the entire city for years to come.
And I hope that we can continue to expand and to grow and to serve the people of Chicago in the way that they need to be served.
Thank you so much.
Hi, good morning, everyone.
Good morning.
My name is Annie Huamani.
I'm here representing the Brighton Park Neighborhood Council and the Collaborative for Community Wellness.
CCW launched the Treatment Not Trauma campaign almost six years ago.
Treatment Not Trauma is a movement that was built upon the shoulders of past Chicago movements and organizers.
The mental health care fight did not start in 2020 with a council order.
It started with community members like us that were directly impacted by the closures of our public mental health centers under the Daley and the ROM administrations.
Leaders like Cowboy and Calvin, both who have passed away over the past year.
Leaders who attended every event and made sure mental health was talked about in every space.
The fight continued and was strengthened by community as we fought broken promises and co-optation by the Lightfoot administration.
This fight has been in the making for decades.
When we say treatment, not trauma, we're not just talking about raising awareness around mental health,
but also pushing for actionable change.
Every person, no matter your zip code, your immigration status, your housing situation, or socioeconomic status,
deserves to be treated with respect, dignity, and ultimately care for.
The announcement of Caribbean Expanded citywide is a step in the right direction.
direction. The expansion of its services to not just serve those in immediate need, but to anyone
who is overwhelmed by emotional, social, or life challenges gives Chicagoans back a part of their
humanity. Humanity that has been long stripped away little by little by harmful systems in place that
have caused hurt in our communities. Holistic approaches like these stop criminalizing people
who are just in need of support. We are grateful to our committed community members, advocates,
health promoters, and this administration for continuing to push for more services
that are accessible to anyone living in Chicago.
I'd like to end by honoring many of those who are not here with us today who the system failed them.
Laquan McDonald, Irene Chavez, Walter Wallace Jr., Ricardo Muñoz,
Angelo Quinto, Jada Johnson, Helen Morley, and the many more names we don't hear on the news.
En español.
Buenos días, mi nombre es Annie Huamaní.
Estoy aquí en representación del Concilio Comunitario de Pride and Park
y la colaborativa para el bienestar comunitario, o CCW en sus siglas en inglés.
La CCW lanzó la campaña Tratamiento No Trauma hace casi seis años.
Tratamiento No Trauma es un movimiento que nació de movimientos y organizadores de Chicago anteriores que nosotros.
La lucha por la atención a la salud mental no comenzó en el 2020 con una ordenanza.
Comenzó con miembros de la comunidad como nosotros,
que se vieron directamente afectados por el cierre de nuestros centros públicos de salud mental
bajo las administraciones de Daly y Ram.
Líderes como Cowboy y Calvin, ambos fallecidos durante el último año.
Líderes que asistían a cada evento y se aseguraban que la salud mental
fuera un tema de conversación en cada espacio.
La lucha continuó y se fortaleció gracias a la comunidad.
Miembros, mientras combatíamos las promesas incumplidas y la coaptación,
by the administration of LifeWare.
This struggle has been gestated for decades.
When we say treatment, no trauma,
we are not only talking about creating awareness about mental health,
but also to push a concrete and effective change.
Every person, regardless of their postal code,
their migrator, their situation habitational
or their socioeconomic status,
must be treated with respect and dignity
and, finally, receive the attention they need.
The announcement that CARE is going to operate on the whole city represents a step in the right direction.
The expansion of its services to help not only those who have an immediate need,
but any person overwhelmed by emotional, social, or vital challenges,
will return to Chicago a part of their humanity.
a human being that has been exposed to a little while for the systems that have caused so much pain in our communities.
The focus holistically like this puts fin to the criminalization of people who in reality only need support.
We are grateful for our members of the community, defenders, promoters of health,
and with this administration of Johnson for continuing to create more accessible services for any person living in Chicago.
Me gustaría concluir rindiendo homenaje a muchas de aquellas personas que hoy no se encuentran aquí con nosotros y a quienes el sistema les falló.
Laquan McDonald, Irene Chavez, Walter Wallace Jr., Ricardo Muñoz, Ángelo Quinto, Jada Johnson, Helen Morley, y tantos otros nombres que no escuchamos en las noticias.
It's an honor to now introduce my colleague and friend, and, well, I would say one of my best friends, Cheryl Miller.
I thank you for that.
Hi, Ms. Diane.
And I also want to acknowledge Ms. Diane as somebody who has been in the forefront and in this fight.
I'd like to bring in also names.
Oh, I'm Cheryl Miller.
and I'm the health justice organizer for Southside Together.
And that means that I'm in this fight every day for public mental health care,
community-based healing,
and really looking at how we use our public care infrastructure to address generational trauma.
And before I go and say anything else, I want to acknowledge, as Ani had started,
um people who are not here today and i started with helen morley and and i think it's worth
reiterating um she at several times which has it said to um the former mayor um emmanuel if you
my clinic, I will die. And those words, the understanding that these resources are life
preserving for people were not heeded and followed through on. And I'd also like to
bring in Jeanette Hanson, Michelle Roby, Horace Howard. Horace Howard, one of the very poignant
stories that I heard from him when we talked about the need
for care, this non-police mobile
crisis response. Horace Howard recounted how
he'd been arrested over 30 times when he was in
crises, including one time where he was thrown into
a police van and hit
his mouth against something and lost his two
front teeth, all because he was having a mental health crisis. I learned to bring in Carol
Saywell-Smith, Lonnie Richardson, and Percy Cooper, and of course, Cowboy and Calvin.
And there's so many other names that we don't know. This moment belongs to them also.
So for me, this work is personal.
I've seen what happens when families and people are left to navigate trauma, crises,
and mental health and social-emotional crises without real support.
Too often our communities have been met with punishment and policing instead of care.
There's actually going to be another member who is going to speak today.
She had a medical emergency in her family, and she really wanted to tell one of the things that really drove her and haunted her.
She had gone to a grocery store, and as she was going into the store, there was kind of a crowd.
There were police vehicles, and this young woman being handcuffed, who was weeping,
and just very discombobulated and clearly, clearly in crises.
And she kept trying to explain that she needed somebody to call her helper,
that she needed somebody, and she was having a breakdown.
and she was saying, I'm breaking down, I need somebody, I need help.
And instead she was arrested.
So I keep thinking about how different things could have been in so many situations
if care had been the response.
What if someone showed up who was trained in mental health support?
What if the goal had been helping instead of punishment?
And this is why this expansion matters. It will make real differences to real people, people you and I both know, probably.
And a lot of neighborhoods have been seeing the highest crisis calls today are the neighborhoods where those public mental health clinics were closed.
And our communities are still living with the impacts of those closures.
And so this is why we know this expansion is important and that we also keep going with it.
And we need public health, we need care, and we need crisis centers across the city
so people are someplace safe to go instead of ending up in jail or depot in crisis.
And at the end of the day, this is about dignity and humanity.
and when people are struggling
they deserve care, support
and they deserve someone
who can actually
help them and thank you
well thank you again
thank you to all
who attended today
I want to also welcome
Alderman Mike Rodriguez, Alderwoman Clay
Alderman Byron Citro Lopez
thank you all for joining
thank you Mayor Brandon Johnson
and that concludes our press conference
If you all want to join us for a photo, please come to the front.