CAHOOTS from Eugene (Oregon) Makes The Daily Show On Comedy Central!

According to an article in Eugene Weekly, Eugene's de-escalation non-profit organization CAHOOTS (Crisis Assistance Helping Out On The Streets) talks with Comedy Central's late night politics show. CAHOOTS is a mobile crisis intervention program based out of Eugene and was established in 1989 as a collaboration between the City of Eugene and White Bird Clinic. Its mission is to improve the city's response to mental illness, substance abuse, and homelessness.

CAHOOTS operates with teams of 2: a crisis intervention worker who is skilled in counseling and de-escalation techniques, and a medical professional is who either an EMT or RN. This pairing allows the CAHOOTS program to respond to a variety of situations. The CAHOOTS team is trained to address both the emotional and physical needs of a patient while alleviating the need for police and EMS involvement. If needed, CAHOOTS can transport patients to facilities such as the emergency room, crisis center, detox center, or shelter free of charge.

However, CAHOOTS has been show to be cost-effective in reducing rates of hospitalization and incarceration as the program is meant to promote a "prehospital mental health crisis" approach.