HAHIRA, Ga. (WALB) - A new program in South Georgia is giving law enforcement a better way to respond to mental crisis calls, especially when dealing with dementia patients.

After a scary moment involving an elderly woman on the interstate, WALB highlights why these resources are important.

A Hahira police officer stopped with what appeared to be a disabled vehicle on the side of the road but found an elderly dementia patient walking along the interstate. Quickly the officer responded calling Legacy Behavioral Health who came to the scene and evaluated the patient offering critical services for their time in need.

Hahira Police Lieutenant Todd Pitchford said, “They processed her but then they got her to a geriatric psychological facility over in Moultrie, which is something we could have never done on our own.”

As officers come across mental health crises they are able to call Legacy for assistance.

Kristin Gowin, Co-Responder Legacy Behavioral Health said, “Part of the co-responder program is I actually do a follow-up within 48 hours with the individual to make sure they have been connected to ongoing services to hopefully prevent the situation from happening in the future.”

The main goal of the program is to help with jail divergence, giving law enforcement additional leeway, especially dealing with dementia cases.

Pitchford said, “They don’t need jail, they need help and we’re able to get them the help they need through our partnership with legacy.”

Angela Riley is a caregiver whose mother was diagnosed with dementia in 2020. Her advice is to not ignore the signs and do whatever to get help.

“Everybody I talk to now I tell them not to be embarrassed and not to be ashamed. Because you need to do whatever you can as quick as you can to make sure the person as much longevity as possible,” she said.

That’s what Legacy does, connect families to resources that support the betterment of their mental health.

Gowin said, “We’ve run into a lot of situations where the family was really thankful we came, saying “oh my goodness we didn’t know that this program existed,” and those are the best feelings when we’re able to connect somebody.”

Legacy has a partnership with the Hahira Police Department and Valdosta Police Department and looking to expand the co-responder program to benefit all 10 counties it serves.

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