The pandemic has Law enforcement dispatched to more mental health calls than before. “After going to repeated mental health calls – dealing with depression and anxiety – I started getting compassionate and taking the situation to heart.” – Sheriff Deputy Jay Truchan (pictured above)
Story and photos
By John Hummer
Editor
Norvell Township Sheriff Deputy Jay Truchan, pictured left, noticed that since the COVID pandemic started, mental health-related calls where law enforcement has to be dispatched have gone up.
“After going to repeated mental health calls – dealing with depression and anxiety – I started getting compassionate and taking the situation to heart,” Truchan said. “I even have friends and people that I knew that were suffering from depression and anxiety from the pandemic.”
He said that most people who called in with those kinds of issues did not need to go to the hospital. That got him thinking, “How much further can I help besides just being a police officer – besides just taking someone to the hospital or calling an ambulance? They needed outside resources to reach out to in reference to their mental health issues that were going on.”
That inspired Truchan to begin developing a list of resources in which to direct people to the type of help they needed. “It continued to grow because these mental health complaints were on the uprise – some associated with drug and alcohol addiction, even child custody situations.”
Truchan said it is nice to have his list with him when going to future calls. “It could help assist community members with their mental health, drug addiction, and family issues,” he said. “A lot of these resources are local.” Some of the resources on his list include state and national helping agencies or crisis lines as well.
Truchan has developed the list in brochure form with the goal of making them available to all sheriff patrol units in Jackson County. Currently, all the sheriff’s staff and deputies have the list in electronic form.
“If this helps people remedy their issue or their problem in life, I’m glad to be able to provide this information to them,” he stated. “Even if they don’t need it at the time, there could be a time in their future where it could benefit them and change their life entirely for the better.” (more below)
The following list of resources, prepared by Sheriff Deputy Jay Truchan, provides mental health, drug addiction, legal assistance, and other helpful support services:
Mental Health:
- Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration – National Helpline: (800) 662-HELP (4357)
- National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: (800)-273-8255
- A Healing Place: (517) 998-4673
- Catholic Charities of Jackson, Lenawee, and Hillsdale Counties (517) 782-2551
- Central Michigan support services: 2-1-1
- Highfields, Inc. (517) 783-4250
- Lifeways ACCESS Center: (517) 789-1200
- The Trevor Project (LBGTQ youth): (866) 488-7386
- The LBGT National Hotline: (888) 843-4564
Drug Addiction:
- Addictive Rehab Helpline: (866) 923-1128
- Rapid Drug Detox: (833) 558-8798
- Michigan Drug Addiction Treatment Helpline: (888) 781-7060
- Andy’s Angels: (517) 499-9919
Legal Assistance:
- Friend of the Court – Jackson County: (517) 788-4470
- Jackson County Prosecuting Attorney Office: (517) 788-4283
- Legal Services of South Central Michigan: (517) 787-6111
- Victim Rights Unit – Jackson County: (517) 788-4071
- National Bar Association – Women Lawyers Division: (202) 842-3900
- National Center for Victims of Crime: (800) FYI-CALL | (202) 467-8700
- National Women’s Law Center: (202) 588-5180
Other Helpful Support Services:
- AWARE (Abused Women’s Assistance and Resources) – OFFICE: (517) 783-1638 | CRISIS HOTLINE: (517) 783-2861
- Statewide Sexual Assault Hotline: (855)-VOICES4
- National Domestic Violence Hotline: (800) 799-SAFE (7233)
- National Sexual Assault Hotline: (800) 656-HOPE (4673)
- Center for Family Health: (517) 748-5500
- Council for the Prevention of Child Abuse and Neglect: (517) 788-4445
- Department of Human Services Children’s & Adult Protective Services: (855) 444-3911
- Family Service and Children’s Aid: (517) 787-7920
- Henry Ford Allegiance Health: (517) 789-5971
- Region 2 Area Agency on Aging: (517) 592-1974
- Jackson County Health Department: (517) 788-4420
- Michigan Department of Health and Human Services: (517) 241-3740
- Food and Drug Administration: (888) 463-6332
- 9 to 5: National Association of Working Women: (800) 522-0925
- Equal Employment Opportunity Commission: (800) 669-4000
- Equal Rights Advocates: (415) 621-0672 | (800) 839-4372 | 24-hour line: (415) 621-0505
- U.S. Department of Labor Women’s Bureau: (800) 827-5335
- Society for Human Resource Management: (800) 283-7476 (Option 5)
- Michigan Department of Civil Rights: (800) 482-3604
