WINONA, Minn. – A mental health unit for police calls needing specialized attention will be functioning by spring, according to the executive director of Hiawatha Valley Mental Health. That’s the rough goal anyway, Erik Sievers said in an interview on radio station KWNO. Hiawatha Valley staff and police are ironing out criteria for deciding which police calls should be directed to health professionals and whether a police officer should go along. Sievers said. The City Council approved funding for a partnership between police and professionals from Hiawatha Valley Mental Health in December.
Psychologist. Chief at Hiawatha Valley Mental Health since 2019.