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(ABC 6 News) — A new crisis response team in Cerro Gordo County is changing how emergency calls are handled, bringing mental health professionals into the mix to ease pressure on first responders and connect people to care faster.
In its first week, the Cerro Gordo County Community Crisis Response Team has already responded to more than 40 calls.
Related: Cerro Gordo County creates Community Crisis Response Team
Officials say mental health-related calls have already surpassed last year’s total by nearly 30% with multiple months left in 2025.
With the team now in place, police officers won’t always be the ones to respond. Instead, trained mental health professionals will be dispatched to help de-escalate and connect people to care.
“There’s a lot of siloing that goes on between police and mental health, but here in Cerro Gordo County, we’ve been able to break that barrier down,” said John Derryberry the executive director of 43 North Iowa.
Related: 43 North Iowa seeks communal collaboration to address mental health crisis
The number of mental health-related 911 calls has continued to climb over the years. There were just over 1100 calls in Mason City during 2023. It rose to more than 1600 in 2024, and now there have already been more than 2000 so far in 2025.
The rise indicated to county leaders that something had to change.
“There were these gaps in the system. There were these gaps where people could just slip through,” said County Supervisor Carl Ginapp.
That realization led to the creation of the Community Crisis Response Team, bringing law enforcement, firefighters, and behavioral health social service agencies together to get people the care they need.
“We were seeing the same people pop up, in the same set of circumstances, and it was that 0–60 minute window after they call and reach out for help,” said Mason City Police Chief Jeff Brinkley.
Brinkley said handling repeated mental health calls was straining officers and other first responders, ultimately leading to a retention issue.
Sometimes, minutes have made all the difference.
“Time is everything. Getting someone there with the skill set to help within 15 minutes can change the whole outcome,” Derryberry said.
The team pairs social workers from 43 North Iowa and Prairie Ridge with first responders as needed, letting officers focus on other emergencies while trained experts handle mental health calls.
It is funded by grants, donations, and opioid settlement dollars. Leaders hope the program’s first-year data can justify permanent funding, saying it has already made a difference in the community.
“The thing I’m most excited about is just the community learning that its ok to call for help when you need it,” said Kelly Grunhovd, the CEO of Prairie Ridge Integrated Behavioral Healthcare.
The new team currently operates 12 hours per day, but county leaders hope to expand it to a full 24/7 operation soon.
