Duluth police department announces new behavioral health unit
(WDIO)
The Duluth Police Department’s co-responder (CORE) mental health team and its Substance Use Response Team (SURT) now fall under a newly formed unit called the Behavioral Health Unit (BHU).
“Substance use and mental health conditions often go hand in hand,” said Lieutenant David Drozdowski. “In order to better serve our community members, the decision was made to combine CORE and SURT under one umbrella.”
The Behavioral Health Unit will continue to offer the services available prior to the merger, but there will be more collaboration between CORE and SURT to connect individuals to vital resources in our community. The BHU consists of a Lieutenant, a Sergeant, four Peer Recovery Specialists, three Licensed Graduate Social Workers, a Licensed Independent Clinical Social Worker, a Registered Nurse, and three police officers dedicated to CORE.