In 1989, there were 19 publicly-ran CDPH Mental Health Centers (MHC) plus the CDPH operated Chicago Alcohol Treatment Center. Later, former Mayor Richard M. Daley closed seven of the city's 19 public clinics built by the CMHA. Fast forward to 2009, Daley floated the idea of closing more clinics out of the twelve, citing a $1.2 million reduction in state funding.

In 2011, Former Mayor Rahm Emanuel closed half of the city's mental health clinics in 2012, four of which six were located on the South Side. Now, the city only has five public mental health clinics. While closing these clinics was a cost-cutting decision due to a state funding dip, the most vulnerable people in the city have been impacted. The closures led to many of Chicago's neighborhoods without adequate mental health services and hundreds of at-risk patients without stable care, forcing them to travel more than an hour to get the care they need. Today, the city only has six public mental health clinics.

Since 1989, amid significant cuts to state and federal funding supporting CDPH-run mental health centers, 14 of the 19 centers were closed. Today, CDPH operates five public mental health centers located in the Englewood, Grand Boulevard, Near West Side, North Park and West Elsdon community areas.

Since former mayor Emanuel's decision, there has been a significant shortage of mental health professionals and inpatient psychiatric beds, a significant number of mentally ill people appearing at the Cook County Jail, and the magnitude of economic burdens and social challenges associated with behavioral issues in the city have increased. While the size of the population with mental illness is a part of the problem, the issue is more complex than just counting headings and describing characteristics. What experts call the "mental health care crisis" imposes high costs on our most critical systems and services.

The 2022 Healthy Chicago Survey highlights this issue, revealing an estimated 75%, or 143,200, of Chicago adults who were classified as having moderate or serious psychological distress also reported that they were not currently taking medicine or receiving treatment from a doctor or other health professional for any mental health condition or emotional problem.

Chicago's Crisis Assistance Response and Engagement (CARE) Pilot Program launched its first mental health crisis response teams in September 2021, which integrates mental health and substance use professionals into teams that respond to 911 emergency calls when those calls have a mental health or substance use component, includes plainclothes police officer trained in crisis intervention, a paramedic and a mental health professional. The CARE program seeks to ensure that 911 calls with a mental health component are responded to by teams that include behavioral health professionals with resources to address unmet health and social needs.

There are currently three types of CARE teams in the field: multidisciplinary response teams, composed of a Chicago Fire Department (CFO) paramedic, CDPH mental health professional, and Chicago Police Department Crisis Intervention Team officer; alternate response teams composed of a CFD paramedic and CDPH mental health professional; and an opioid response team that conducts follow-up visits with people who have experienced an overdose and received EMS response, composed of a CFD paramedic and a peer recovery specialist.

CARE Teams are providing services in police districts covering Auburn Gresham, Chatham, Chicago Lawn, East Garfield Park, Gage Park, Humboldt Park, Lakeview, Loop, Near South, North Center, Uptown, West Elsdon, West Englewood, West Garfield Park, and West Lawn. As of September 3, 2023, CARE teams have responded to 1,155 calls for service without use of force or arrest.

The CDPH mental health budget expanded more than seven-fold from $12M to $89M between 2019 and 2023, allowing the Department to expand access to mental healthcare, reaching tens of thousands more Chicagoans. Over the last four years, CDPH has scaled city-funded, no barrier mental health services to all 77 neighborhoods through the five CDPH-run mental health clinics and a network of trauma-informed centers of care. In addition, CDPH has integrated mental health services into non-clinical settings, such as by embedding mental health professionals in Chicago public libraries and 80 homeless shelters around the city

In line with Mayor Johnson’s vision for a better, stronger, safer future for Chicago where our youth and communities have the resources to thrive, we are committed to correcting longstanding systemic inequities and repairing the harms of past disinvestment and exclusion. This mission, forged in partnership with all Chicagoans and grounded in data-driven strategies, aims to usher in a new era of inclusive, effective governance. At its heart is the Mayor's priority to pass Treatment Not Trauma, and expand our system for mental health care, create new responses to crises and provide support to those communities most in need.

Most recently, on September 26th, the Chicago City Council’s Health and Human Relations Committee endorsed an ordinance to establish four working groups tasked with developing recommendations for enhancing mental health services, which was subsequently approved and passed with the full City Council's final vote on October 5th. These working groups are now focused on creating a comprehensive framework and roadmap. Their goal is to significantly expand mental health clinical services, establish non-police responses for behavioral and mental health crises, and improve community awareness of available mental health resources, thus charting a course toward remedying the longstanding deficiencies in Chicago's approach to mental health care.