Denton County’s new mental health navigators began to assist individuals in need of resources and address non-emergency mental health concerns starting Tuesday afternoon.
In March, Denton County commissioners voted unanimously to hire mental health navigators, who are licensed social workers. Since then, Denton County Public Health has worked to build and launch what they’re calling DCPH Links.
Alex Reed, division manager for community health at DCPH, told county commissioners Tuesday morning that the DCPH Links program is now live, and navigators were to begin to answer phones and texts to assist people in need at 1 p.m. Tuesday.
In DCPH Links, navigators will assess the person in need, make direct referrals to service providers, follow up to assess if the linkage was successful, build and maintain an online mental health resource directory, and track community assets and gaps in services in Denton County.
Residents can call or text 940-349-3000 to reach a navigator. Additionally, residents can opt to complete an online form and will be contacted by a navigator within three business days. Navigators will be available Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to noon and 1 to 5 p.m.
“Today, our navigators will be at their desks and ready to accept phone calls and text messages,” Reed told the commissioners Tuesday.
Matt Richardson, director of public health for Denton County, said in March that if an individual does not like the referral, or ends up wanting to consider other options, the process would restart from the beginning to reassess.
Richardson thanked the commissioners during Tuesday’s meeting and predicted the Denton County community will be pleased with the new navigators.
“I believe that Denton County is going to be a model for the ... 254 counties here in Texas and those across the nation,” County Judge Andy Eads said.
“That’s what’s exciting to me, that the good things that we’re doing here can serve as a shining example for others across our region and across our state, in the U.S., and hopefully, other people will invest like we are in the mental health and the overall health of their residents.”
Anyone experiencing a mental health emergency can call Denton County MHMR’s crisis hotline at 1-800-762-0157. You can also reach a trained crisis counselor through the national 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline by calling or texting 988, or by chatting online at 988Lifeline.org, 24 hours a day.