NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN) — One in five adults are living with a mental health disorder in our country and more than half did not receive any kind of medical services for it in the past year.

That’s according to a recent report from the Center for Disease Control and Prevention about the status of adults and mental health as of 2020.

Also, in a recent survey from the Kaiser Family Foundation/CNN, nine out of ten adults said they believe there’s a mental health crisis in the U.S. today.

Often times first responders are the first to make contact with individuals who are experiencing some type of mental health crisis. More law enforcement and emergency service agencies are working to meet the crisis head on with trained individuals to help.

The Metro Nashville Police Department has collaborated with the Mental Health Cooperative to expand its Partners in Care Program, which was first established in 2021.

A clinician is paired with a trained officer five days a week to respond to behavioral health calls.

The Midtown Hills Precinct will become MNPD’s fifth to join the program. The precinct has 14 officers and four supervisors with 40 additional hours of crisis response training, MNPD said in a press release.

So far, the teams have addressed more than 3,000 calls with less than 4% resulting in an arrest, according to MNPD.

MNPD hopes to continue expanding the program with the Madison Precinct joining in November.

If you or someone you know is experiencing a mental health crisis, then you can call Tennessee’s statewide Crisis Line for free at 855-CRISIS-1 (855-274-7471). It’s available 24 hours a day 365 days a year.