A new program designed to provide alternative emergency response for mental health 911 calls will launch next week. The Madison Fire Department’s Community Alternative Response Emergency Services (CARES) team will begin responding to 911 calls on September 1. In a Thursday morning news conference, city leaders explained how the program will work. The CARES team will consist of a paramedic and a Journey Mental Health crisis worker who will respond to 911 calls in a marked minivan. These teams are trained and equipped to respond to non-violent behavioral health emergency calls that do not require law enforcement. Luis Bixler, the Director of the Dane County Public Safety Communications, says 911 dispatchers will determine if a call meets the criteria for a CARES team response.