LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Louisville's Crisis Call Diversion Program is seeing another expansion.
It will now start operating from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. starting tomorrow.
After 27 years in Emergency Services, James Polk is still astonished by the change he's seen, which at one time, he thought unimaginable.
"It was always there, we just weren't smart enough to see it," he said. "Thinking about sending social workers out to do our job was, this terrifying."
Polk manages Metro Government's Crisis Call Diversion Program (CCDP), which gives Metro Safe dispatchers the option to transfer 911 calls to social workers.
Nicole Wiseman from Seven Counties helps manage the program too.
The team will grow to 20 full-time staff members on July 1. The program will also roll out the expanded hours then.
Since March 2022, CCDP has led to 1,400 crisis triage worker encounters, made more than 500 mobile runs, and helped more than 330 callers.
Program leaders hope that one day, to expand to 24/7 services, but before that, it has to get over the hiring hurdle.
Anyone interested in working for the program can do so here. Applicants can find it under the "social worker" category.
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