CARES 911 Mental Health Program Expands to Sun Prairie

MADISON, Wis. (WMDX) – A program that sends mental health staff and paramedics to 911 calls has now expanded to Sun Prairie. 

CARES stands for Community Alternative Response Emergency Services. The Madison Fire Department started the program in 2021. 

When people call 911 for non-violent mental health issues, the CARES team can be dispatched instead of law enforcement. Each team consists of a counselor from Journey Mental Health and a paramedic from the Madison Fire Department. It’s meant to keep people out of the emergency room, and prevent them from having contact with law enforcement when it’s not necessary. 

Now thanks to an agreement between Madison, Dane County and Sun Prairie, people in Sun Prairie will now have access to that same service. 

“The City of Sun Prairie stands to benefit significantly from the CARES program expansion, as it will enhance the alignment between mental health crisis response and the needs of mental health consumers in the community,” Sun Prairie Mayor Paul Esser said in a statement. 

Based on data from previous calls, they expect the CARES teams to respond to 123 mental health calls in Sun Prairie in 2025.