LEXINGTON, S.C. — A partnership between Lexington County Community Mental Health Center (LCCMHC), and the Cayce and West Columbia police departments will embed a mental health professional from LCCMHC with officers in the Lexington County communities.
Having a mental health professional on the scene of a call involving a person experiencing a mental health crisis or a traumatized crime victim can help deescalate the situation and get that person one step closer to the help that they need.
LCCMHC is one of South Carolina Department of Mental Health's 16 community-based outpatient mental health centers that provides services in Lexington County.
Our Center has partnered with law enforcement through our Mobile Crisis program since 2019," said Sarah Main, LCCMHC Executive Director. "We are excited to expand our collaboration by embedding a mental health professional, who will allow us to respond faster to crises in the community and provide proactive interventions to prevent crises from occurring. This new initiative will enable us to better serve our patients and community.”
Cayce Police Chief Chris Cowan said, “This is another outstanding example of how partnerships and cooperation can improve the quality of life for our citizens... the addition of this clinician to our teams will bring direct mental health services to our communities, help our patrol officers assist our citizens, and improve the quality of life for our cities.”
West Columbia Police Chief Marion Boyce said, "This will allow us to better serve our communities and provide much-needed support to individuals experiencing a mental health crisis. We are committed to serving everyone and this is yet another example of how we provide a quality law enforcement service to those in need."
Both Boyce and Cowan were pleased with the collaboration between their law enforcement agencies and their continued commitment to the community.
In addition to the partnership with West Columbia and Cayce, LCCMHC has embedded mental health professionals in 71 Lexington County schools and has clinics in Lexington, Batesburg, and Swansea.
