Health & Medicine

CAHOOTS Act Nearing Introduction In The U.S. Senate

KLCC | By Brian Bull

Published August 4, 2020 at 3:50 PM PDT

Eugene's mobile crisis intervention service known as CAHOOTS will be highlighted as a model alternative to traditional policing this week.

In a release, Oregon Democratic Senator Ron Wyden says he’s introducing a federal bill called the Crisis Assistance Helping Out On The Streets Act. The legislation emphasizes a mental health approach over an armed response, which some say only escalates some situations.

CAHOOTS marked its 31^st year in July. It’s operated by the White Bird Clinic. Wyden’s bill would encourage other states to adopt their model through increased Medicaid funding.

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Health & Medicine CAHOOTS Oregon Senator Ron Wyden

Brian Bull

Brian Bull is a contributing freelance reporter with the KLCC News department, who first began working with the station in 2016. He's a senior reporter with the Native American media organization Buffalo's Fire, and was recently a journalism professor at the University of Oregon.

In his nearly 30 years working as a public media journalist, Bull has worked at NPR, Twin Cities Public Television, South Dakota Public Broadcasting, Wisconsin Public Radio, and ideastream in Cleveland. His reporting has netted dozens of accolades, including four national Edward R. Murrow Awards (22 regional), the Ohio Associated Press' Best Reporter Award, Best Radio Reporter from the Native American Journalists Association, and the PRNDI/NEFE Award for Excellence in Consumer Finance Reporting.

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