Three Things To Read This Week

[Matt Ferner]

More Cities Embedding Mental Health Experts Into 911 Dispatch Centers

Three Things To Read This Week 1. More Cities Embedding Mental Health Experts Into 911 Dispatch Centers. In Phoenix, Arizona, “911 Callers … Will Now Be Asked About Mental Health.” For KJZZ, Matthew Casey reports on the new mental health program launched at Phoenix’s 911 emergency dispatch center that “instead of just asking if emergency callers need police officers or fire fighters, Phoenix 911 dispatchers are now also asking if people need help with behavioral health… [with] the goal to reduce unnecessary responses by police and fire.” Local leaders explained that if a caller needs mental health service, now “they’re transferred to a special dispatcher, who then sends out staff from the Community Assistance Program, which includes mental health units and crisis response teams.” Phoenix’s approach follows the model pioneered in Austin, Texas that Safer Cities has spotlighted—when you call 911 in Austin, a dispatcher will ask you: “Do you need fire, EMS, police”—or, the fourth option—“mental health.” Then, they determine the appropriate responder team, based on the needs of the caller. DC Ernst, who oversees the Community Assistance Program in the city, explained in an announcement about the 911 policy shift that “the goal is to ensure the right help is sent to the right calls … ‘this enhancement … ensures residents receive the most effective response available for their situation.” In Raleigh, North Carolina, A “Team Of Licensed Mental Health Clinicians [Is Now] Embedded Within The 911 Call Center” To Help Determine the Best Responder. For Indy Week,  Chloe Courtney Bohl reports on the new pilot program which places “a team of licensed mental health clinicians embedded within the 911 call center who are trained to de-escalate mental and behavioral health crises and connect people with long-term support… assessing whether police officers are best equipped to respond to the situation or if a mental health professional should intervene instead.” Indy spoke with Dominick Nutter, the city’s Emergency Communications Director, as well as Michele Mallette, the city’s Chief of Staff, who championed this shift. The full interview is worth your time but here are some key learnings from the pair: Why Add Mental Health Clinicians To 911? “One of our former police chiefs… recognized that there was a growing need—not just from community concern but from a police resource standpoint—for an alternative for the community that was experiencing mental health crises. We decided we would embark on developing our crisis call diversion line… as we divert calls over to the clinicians, it helps with our improved response time. If [police] responders aren’t going to those calls, they can focus on other calls where the public needs them, and it’s going to reduce the time it takes us to get there.” How Does It Work At The Call Center? “A 911 call comes in and we have our standard case entry questions… as they start explaining the situation, our team will decide if it’s something that is appropriate for [police, fire or mental health response]... The big thing is, does the person have a weapon and is there any danger? In that case, then [mental health response] wouldn’t be appropriate. If it’s something that’s appropriate for [mental health response], then the call is transferred to a counselor. One of our telecommunicators will talk to the counselor first so the counselor is aware of the situation, and then they will bring in the caller…. Often we are helping people access resources like behavioral health urgent care, crisis assessment, or mobile crisis, a service that comes to people’s homes and helps them figure out the best next steps for them, while assessing that it’s a safe step.” 2. Three Studies Show Promise That Mobile Crisis Response Teams Can Reduce Strain On Police, Jails, And Hospitals While Building Trust. Mobile Crisis Teams Reduce Arrests, Strain On Jails And Hospitals. In a recent review of multiple studies evaluating mobile crisis units, published in BMC Health Services Research, researchers found that “mobile crisis proved to be the only intervention that led to significantly lower incidence of arrest in the year following [an] initial crisis,” compared against co-responder units and officer-based response. They conclude that mobile crisis team treatment “reduces individuals’ likelihood of arrest… in the period after treatment compared to controls similarly at risk for these outcomes,” and emphasize that mobile crisis team treatment reduces jail admissions as well as emergency room admissions. The “True Unmet Need” For Behavioral Crisis Response Is Far Greater Than Previously Thought. Analyzing computer-assisted dispatch data from 15 U.S. police departments, researchers in a recently published pre-print study found that with “police officers having long been the default, primary responders to mental and substance use related incidents in the United States… some U.S. cities may see up to 20% of police dispatch time spent on behavioral health” calls for service. Based on these estimates, the study concludes that “the true unmet need for alternative crisis response in U.S. cities is far greater than previously thought,” and that these findings “may offer a reasonable guide for municipalities that are considering implementing an alternative crisis response service.” Portland Street Response Team Increased Trust In City’s Emergency Response Among Homeless. In a recent study published in the Journal of Prevention and Intervention, researchers examined Portland Street Response, the city’s mobile crisis response team, and its impact on trust in the homeless community as it began to respond to homelessness-related calls for service. Researchers found that many in the homeless community initially reported feeling “unsafe calling 911,” citing concerns about what response might arrive and whether help would meet their needs. But as awareness grew that Portland Street Response was an available responder option, trust increased: the share of unhoused respondents who reported feeling unsafe calling 911 “dropped from 57.9%… to 44.9% after the program had been active for two years.” Clients of Portland Street Response consistently described feeling treated “with compassion and dignity,” saying responders “treated us like humans,” and emphasizing the reassurance of having a clearly defined alternative response option: “I don’t worry anymore. I can say I need Portland Street Response.” 3. Momentum For Crisis Stabilization Centers Across The Country. In Prince William County, Virginia, New Crisis Stabilization Center “Shows Early Success.” As the county details in their announcement, the new center, which opened in October, “is already demonstrating strong early results in supporting individuals experiencing behavioral health crises and reducing reliance on inpatient psychiatric hospitalization… [with] out-of-area [hospital] placements dropping from 43 percent to just four percent.” The center’s medical staff provide a range of mental health services and treatment to patients, who can arrive via law enforcement drop off or hospital transfers, through an “on-site Crisis Stabilization Unit for individuals requiring more intensive, short-term care… [as well as] outpatient and community-based services” for people with less acute symptoms.  In Wayne County, Pennsylvania, New 24/7 Crisis Stabilization Center Opens, “Taking Pressure Off” Of Local Emergency Rooms. For WVIA, Lydia McFarlane reports on the Northeast Regional Crisis Stabilization Center, which opened its doors at the end of 2025, that local officials say is “already making a difference” in the health and safety of the community. The center is “staffed 24/7 and anyone can be treated there, regardless of age or where they live.” It features a residential treatment program “where individuals can stay for up to five days”—a “first of its kind” service in the county. Local leaders told the news station that the new facility is “taking pressure off Wayne Memorial Hospital.” John Nebzydoski, the county's behavioral health director, explained how the county views the facility’s role in the public safety infrastructure: "We're comparing this to an urgent care… If you're in mental health crisis, you're not bleeding, you're in reasonably good physical health, please come here.” In Hennepin County, Minnesota, A New Youth Crisis Stabilization Center Is Serving Kids “With Complex Mental Health Needs” Who Would “Otherwise End Up In An ER Or Detention Center.” For The Star Tribune, Eleanor Hildebrandt reports on the county’s new crisis stabilization center for kids, that just opened in December, providing treatment for youth “with complex mental and behavioral health needs who have long been stuck between [being sent to] emergency rooms and juvenile detention,” but now can receive mental health care at the facility instead “for up to 45 days.” The center, staffed with trained medical professionals, provides kids in crisis with “a calm place to stay for a few weeks and get help while figuring out what to do next.” Its design, which came about through consultation with mental health care professionals and “feedback from families and youth” has a “a familial vibe to the space, including a dining room area… [and] every room has a personal bathroom and desk.” Kids can receive “multiple types of therapy while there… [and] will also be taught by a Minneapolis Public Schools teacher while they stay." We’d love to hear from you! If your jurisdiction is working on an innovative program to advance public safety, please email us at ma...@safercitiesresearch.com. Unsubscribe from this list • Update your preferences • View email in browser

[Matt Ferner]

Cities Turning To Safety Ambassador Teams, From Campus To Transit To Downtown.

Three Things To Read This Week

1. Cities Turning To Safety Ambassador Teams, From Campus To Transit To Downtown. At University of Texas, Austin, Safety Ambassador Team “Keeps West Campus Clean, Safe And Connected.” For Reporting Texas, Samantha Rubin reports on the visible “blue-shirted ambassadors” team, a new safety program funded by U-Texas, that focuses on keeping the West Campus neighborhood safe and clean for students and residents, preserving stretched police resources for serious crimes. The team, available 24 hours a day Thursday through Sunday, and 20 hours a day the rest of the week, is divided into two units: “safety and cleaning,” and “some ambassadors [have] military backgrounds … [but all] are required to go through extensive training.”  The safety ambassadors “walk residents to their destinations in the late evening, monitor the area for unwanted activity… conduct homeless outreach” and work with law enforcement when a situation requires escalation. The clean team works about 10 hours a day, seven days a week to “collect trash, remove graffiti and handle basic maintenance in the area.” Donaye Perkins and Kevin Morris Sr., ambassadors on the team, explained to the newspaper that “the tenor of the work changes over the course of the day… ‘nights tilt more toward safety…escorts and keeping an eye on busy areas… [then] during the day it’s hospitality” and cleaning, “we’re always talking and vibrant, it’s about visibility.” UCLA Study: Los Angeles Transit Ambassador Program Advances “Safety” And Is “Making A Positive Contribution To The System.” For StreetsBlog LA, Joe Linton reports on UCLA’s Institute of Transportation Studies new study examining the city’s Metro Transit Ambassador program. The full 80-page report, and accompanying policy brief are worth your time, but researchers found that the ambassadors  “advance a community safety approach towards meeting riders’ needs… make a positive contribution to the system… [and] support riders and operator safety and connecting vulnerable riders to resources.” Here are some of the topline findings from the report and policy brief: Active Safety, And Life-Saving Role: Through crisis response, de-escalation, homelessness outreach, and overdose prevention — the team “assists with the first level of homelessness response, with crisis de-escalation, and by administering Narcan to prevent overdoses,” and have “saved hundreds of lives on the system through Narcan use, CPR, and first aid.” Highly-Visible Eyes On Riders: Researchers noted that the team provides “more eyes on the system and offer a highly visible presence to riders.” Researchers also noted that riders reported that “safety perceptions increased over the period ambassadors were deployed…” Policy Recommendations: LA Metro’s decision to make the program permanent reflects “evidence that the pilot program was able to achieve many of its initial goals,” and recommends higher pay, better benefits, stronger career pathways, and improved data collection and evaluation to further enhance the effectiveness of the team. In San Francisco, “Downtown Ambassadors Cut 911 Calls In Half.” Writing for The San Francisco Standard, Jillian D’Onfro reports that a recent three-month expansion of the ambassador program at BART’s Embarcadero and Montgomery stations was associated with a 53% drop in safety-related 911 calls, while calls tied to violent incidents — including fights, assaults, and robberies — fell by 67%. The pilot, she writes, is “helping downtown San Francisco get its groove back.” The ambassador team provides multiple safety functions, including: being highly visible eyes on the downtown area, aiding residents and riders around the system, “performing wellness checks” on the homeless population as well as connecting them to “available resources or calling in other agencies to help,” and “providing supplemental cleaning around [the stations].” 2. Momentum For Hospital-Based Violence Intervention Programs Across The Country. In Cincinnati, Ohio, Hospital-Based Violence Intervention Program Aims To Reduce Gun Violence, “Providing Comprehensive Care For Both Victims And Their Families.” For WLWT5, Nicole Aponte reports on the city’s “Hope and Shield” hospital-based violence intervention program, which operates out of the trauma centers at Children’s Hospital and UC Medical Center with physicians and violence intervention professionals working “hand in hand” to “decrease the risk of injury and re-entry” into the hospital.  When a patient arrives at the hospital, healthcare professionals provide medical and trauma services while the person is hospitalized, and help victims obtain ongoing trauma counseling. They are also connected with “a gun violence intervention specialist team whose lives have also been touched by gun violence.” Patients then receive ongoing treatment for any “preexisting mental health issues… issues with food insecurity” to help stabilize them so they don’t fall back into a cycle of violence. The program has been in operation for about a year and nearly 140 gun violence victims have enrolled in the program. In Pennsylvania, State Invests $3 Million For Expansion Of Hospital-Based Violence Intervention Programs. Lt. Governor Austin Davis announced last month that the state would be making the investment in multiple hospital-based programs in operation across the state that provide care to “violently injured patients at the critical moment when they are hospitalized and provide them with support after they’ve been discharged… to help prevent cycles of gun violence by reducing the likelihood of reinjury and retaliation.” The hospital-based programs are part of a sweeping effort to reduce gun violence in the state, that has contributed to “a 35 percent reduction in homicides” in the state, and “a 15 percent decrease in homicides” in Philadelphia just last year, Lt. Gov. Davis explained.  Elinore Kaufman, a trauma surgeon at Penn Medicine and director for the Penn Trauma Violence Recovery Program, explained the importance of programs like these in the state: "When I care for a patient injured by gunshots, my goal, along with my clinical team, is to repair physical damage: to use all the resources and skills that we have at Penn Trauma to transform life threatening injuries into something that can heal… But for so many of our patients, discharge home is not a success if their home isn’t safe because the shooter knows where they live. If they can’t keep the lights on because the electric bill is too high. If their injury puts them out of work and now they are behind on rent and at risk of eviction. If they have nightmares and flashbacks and don’t feel safe leaving the house. If they can’t get to their follow-up appointments because they have no transportation… [Now with programs like these] it’s an opportunity to help them heal, to help make their life a little bit better, to help prevent the next injury, and to help make our community a little bit stronger.” 3. San Francisco’s “Swiss Army Knife Team Of Teams” Enhance Public Safety, Provide Mental Health Care, Clean Up City Streets.  For Mission Local,  Xueer Lu reports on the innovative multi-team approach San Francisco has deployed in the Mission District—a five team “Swiss Army knife team of teams” that “has been working together for nearly a year now”—to help improve public safety, provide homelessness outreach, mental health care, clean up city streets, and reduce the burden on local police. Here’s a look at the teams and their various functions: Emergency Management Team: The “umbrella organization that all the city’s work on street conditions and homelessness fits under.” The team “runs daily coordination meetings for the [various street] teams, directs outreach and enforcement efforts, acts as the central point… ensuring teams work in sync rather than in silos, and responds to 311 calls related to homelessness.” Public Health Team: This team “consists of trained clinicians, medical providers, nurses, and nurse practitioners” who “treat infections and give urgent wound care… [and] connects people to mental health and substance use disorder services.” The team also provides ongoing follow-up for people with mental health conditions or substance use disorders “to make sure they are taking their meds and stabilize their conditions.” Homeless Response Team: This team, also known as HEART, “is dispatched to disturbances, wellness checks, noise complaints, trespassing” that are “received by the city’s 311 communications centers concerning people who may need shelter, substance abuse recovery, or mental health services.” The team is composed of trained professionals certified in “CPR, first aid, and Narcan [application]” and help connect the homeless population to city services.  Supportive Housing Team: This unit “employs outreach workers who assess unhoused people currently living outside, and then work to connect them to shelter, housing and other city services.”  The team also helps people transitioning into housing, “arranging transportation for them to get there, and helping them [with storage of] their belongings.”  Ambassador Team: This team of trained professionals “acts as a force multiplier for the city’s existing efforts”, focuses on “cleaning the streets, ensuring safe passage for kids” walking to and from school, responding to overdoses, “intervening and deescalating street conflicts… [and] acting as eyes and ears on the street.” The team hires people who were formerly incarcerated or homeless which, the team explains, “makes it particularly effective at building trust with people currently on the streets” and providing them connection to treatment.

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[Matt Ferner]

Cities Are Building Safer Crisis Response Systems Through Integration Of 988 And 911 

Three Things To Read This Week

1. Study: Cities Are Building Safer Crisis Response Systems Through Integration Of 988 And 911. A new report published by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration presented a practical toolkit for policymakers interested in integrating 911 emergency dispatch and 988 mental health services to “provide actionable steps and tools to promote interoperability. The toolkit detailed ways to help “partners overcome real and perceived risks and obstacles… [in order] to provide a seamless response to individuals experiencing behavioral health crises.” SAMHSA produced the report in collaboration with the Bureau of Justice Assistance, the National Emergency Number Association, the National 911 Program, the FCC, and other emergency dispatch-focused groups. The full guidance is worth the time of any policymaker looking to integrate 911 and 988, but here are some topline findings: Define Roles Clearly To Prevent Confusion Among Responders. “Establishing and defining clear roles and responsibilities amongst 988, law enforcement, and emergency services will be important for laying out specific tasks that each organization is responsible for… Organizations should consider developing decision point matrices to manage call transfer between 988 and 911.” Build Trust Through Partnerships Across Emergency Responder Agencies. “Partnerships with local law enforcement and emergency services can be assisted with Mutual Aid Agreements or Memoranda of Understanding… outlining expectations of each organization, shared understanding of roles and responsibilities, and how systems will interact and communicate… In the early stages of interoperability, [MOUs can] provide a common understanding before committing to a full, legally binding contract.” Use Risk-Based Call Triage To Match The Call To The Right Responder: “Effective risk assessment and triage protocols are essential in ensuring timely, appropriate responses to individuals in crisis while minimizing risk and liability… Based on the initial assessment, the crisis is triaged into categories (e.g., low, mild, moderate, higher risk), [which] determines the level of response needed…” Cities Integrating 911 With Other Experts To Get The Right Responder To The Right Call. In Santa Clara County, California, Nurses Handle Some 911 Calls For Service. For San Jose Spotlight, Joyce Chu reports on the county’s effort to triage some 911 calls to nurses who “help callers navigate the health care system and determine the appropriate level of care by providing advice on the phone, booking clinic appointments or arranging a ride to the hospital” to ease strain on police officers, medics, and other first responders. Nick Clay, director of the county’s emergency services agency, explained that the program “preserves those highly trained professionals and those pieces of equipment that are really specialized… for the people who really, truly have an emergency… [and] also offers an avenue for folks who don’t necessarily have a high level of emergency, but still need help.”  In Suffolk County, New York “Social Workers Will Be Embedded At [The] 911 Call Center To Help Operators With Mental Health-Related Calls… [When] The Situation Does Not Warrant Police Intervention.” For Newsday, Lisa Colangelo reports that the new plan means that when someone calls 911 “in a mental health crisis, a social worker will take over the call and evaluate the situation,” determine the best course of action for mental health related calls so that the county can “free up officers if the situation does not warrant police intervention.” County Executive Edward P. Romaine explained to the newspaper that this effort “aims to get people services [and] free up officers if the situation does not warrant police intervention.” Ultimately, Romaine said, the new program “will make policing more effective, protect our police men and women that serve and ... help people who have some kind of [mental health] difficulty.” In Austin, Texas, 911 With “Mental Health” Option Transforms How Emergency Calls Are Handled. As Safer Cities has previously spotlighted—when you call 911 in Austin, a dispatcher will ask you: “Do you need fire, EMS, police”—or, the fourth option—“mental health.” Then, they determine the appropriate responder team, based on the needs of the caller. Austin Police Association President Michael Bullock recently testified before Austin City Council explaining the importance of integrating mental health experts into the emergency dispatch system: “it’s time that we work towards getting law enforcement out of mental health. We have never claimed to be [mental health] experts, yet we have been charged with the responsibility of responding to mental health crises… taking these positive steps towards identifying better ways to divert these calls, to have a more robust mental health response system, I believe is a positive step.”  2. Crisis Stabilization Centers Providing Mental Health And Substance Use Treatment, Easing Burden On Emergency Rooms And Jails. “Game-Changing Crisis Center Opens Its Doors In Buffalo.” For The Buffalo News, Jon Harris reports on Best Response Intensive Crisis Stabilization Center, the “long-awaited facility to serve children, adolescents and adults experiencing a mental health or substance use crisis” finally opening its doors in Buffalo, that local leaders tell the newspaper “will be a game-changer for those in Western New York facing a crisis, but who previously had few options to seek the right level of help.” The new facility “will be open 24/7 and offer children and adults in crisis the ability to stay for up to [24 hours] and receive counseling, medication support and connections to follow-up care,” and helps to “ensure people are getting services in the right setting” by redirecting patients from hospital emergency rooms or jails.  Elizabeth Woike, who oversees the new center, explained that “when someone is in crisis, there are very few options… and not enough places specifically designed to meet people in that moment of crisis… [this] crisis stabilization center was created to fill that gap.” And this center is just the beginning. Robert Moon, deputy commissioner for the state’s office of mental health, told the newspaper that “there will eventually be 26 centers across the state – 13 intensive centers and 13 supportive crisis stabilization centers.” Oak Park, Michigan, Opens New Crisis Stabilization Center “For People Experiencing Mental Health And Substance Use Crises.” For WXYZ, Meghan Daniels reports on the new crisis center that opened its doors in the city offering immediate treatment “for people experiencing mental health and substance use crises, providing an alternative” for first responders to take patients instead of emergency rooms or jail facilities, and “aims to fill a critical gap in mental health services by offering immediate care without long waits.” The trained mental health professionals who staff the facility take “a comprehensive approach to crisis intervention… looking beyond the immediate crisis, screening for social determinants of health and providing ongoing support as people navigate their next steps” after they receive care. In Prince William County, Virginia, Crisis Stabilization Center “Shows Early Success” With “Better Outcomes For Residents And Our Public Safety And Healthcare Systems.” Prince William Living reports on the new crisis stabilization center, which just opened in late October, already “demonstrating strong early results in supporting individuals experiencing behavioral health crises” serving nearly 200 patients “through its 23-hour observation unit” and transitioning nearly half of them into “short-term residential crisis services that provide therapy, medication support and stabilization.” The facility accepts patient drop-offs and referrals from local law enforcement and other first responders who need a place to take a person in crisis that isn’t an emergency room or detention facility. Lisa Madron, the county’s community services director, explained that, while early, this “model has been very successful, particularly in lowering the out-of-placement for individuals under emergency custody orders and temporary detention orders.” The trained staff at the facility treat the acute crises patients exhibit when they arrive at the facility, and then “connect individuals to the most appropriate level of care, while supporting recovery and community reintegration.” 3. Local Leaders Turn To Clean Teams To “Keep The City Looking Clean And Feeling Safe.”  In Modesto, California, New Team Cleans Up Streets, Provides Paid Jobs For Homeless. For CBS News, Nina Burns reports on the launch of a novel city program “aimed at cleaning up Modesto streets while providing paid work to people experiencing homelessness.” The Clean Team focuses on “litter abatement and community beautification” and, since launching just two weeks ago, has already “removed nearly 2,000 pounds of trash… drawing visible support from residents [with] people honking and showing appreciation” as they pass through the district. Megan Clifford, who oversees the program for the city, said that “this program has the potential to make a real difference: not just in litter abatement, but in people's lives… the goal is to give people real work experience while they continue working with case managers toward permanent employment and housing.” Santa Ana, California, Re-Ups With Successful Clean & Safe Team  Which Has “Enhanced Cleanliness… And Safety” Downtown. For New Santa Ana, Art Pedroza reports on the city council’s unanimous approval to renew with the city’s downtown Clean & Safe Team that “provide regular cleaning and security” duties, “assist visitors and businesses” with security and hospitality, as well as provide connection to services to the homeless community in order to make the city’s downtown district “clean, safe and welcoming for residents, businesses and visitors alike.” Teresa Saldivar, a downtown jewelry business owner, explained to the newspaper that she has “seen firsthand how essential the Clean & Safe Program … plays a vital role in keeping the area clean, safe, and welcoming for customers, employees, residents, and visitors.” Louisville, Kentucky Clean Team “Keeps The City Looking Clean And Feeling Safe.” For WDRB, Ariana Shuka reports on the success of the downtown team who “work year round, seven days a week, to keep the city looking clean and feeling safe.” The team performs multiple functions, from cleaning (“graffiti removal, pressure washing” of the sidewalks and buildings), to hospitality (“escorting” of residents, shoppers, and visitors across streets or to their cars or a local business), to connecting people in the homeless population to services and treatment. Rebecca Fleischaker, who oversees the downtown clean team, explained to the news station that this team “makes the public realm look clean, look colorful, feel good—it’s a series of small steps, but they really matter. Just in their mere presence, they provide a sense of safety and security for people who are in the area where they walk.”

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[Matt Ferner]

Mobile Crisis Response Teams Expanding—And Freeing Up Police And Fire Resources—Around The Country.

Three Things To Read This Week

1. Mobile Crisis Response Teams Expanding—And Freeing Up Police And Fire Resources—Around The Country. In Harris County, Texas, HART Mobile Crisis Responders Mark Major Milestone—Exceeding 25,000 Calls For Service. For Harris One, Harris County Commissioner Rodney Ellis announced last week that the county’s Holistic Assistance Response Team, or HART—a mobile crisis response team that “dispatches healthcare experts, crisis specialists, and other medical professionals to handle some 911 calls involving mental health, behavioral health, and homelessness”—surpassed 25,000 calls for service in December.  Commissioner Ellis, a long-standing champion of HART who first launched the team in his precinct, also noted that 88% of the team’s calls came directly from 911, “meaning the team is meaningfully reducing the burden on other emergency service providers in fire, EMS, and law enforcement, who would otherwise have taken these calls, and increasing [other first response] capacity in turn.” Here’s a look at the county’s data on the team: The HART team first launched in 2022 as a pilot that responded to some emergency calls for service in Commissioner Ellis’s precinct. In the years since, the team has grown to “nearly 21 field-ready teams” who now respond to calls across the county, as well as a standalone hotline “offering a direct connection to the team” for residents in crisis. Here's what local leaders are saying about HART’s role in the public safety infrastructure in Harris County: Harris County Sheriff’s Department Chief Mike Lee: Even in its first year in operation as a pilot, HART had already “‘freed up [hundreds of] hours of law enforcement time to respond to other calls… Officers still today find themselves in situations where they are nonstop dealing with calls in which the primary issue is poverty, lack of financial resources, substance abuse and addiction and mental illness. And I can tell you, police officers, although we are very proud of the training we have done, we're not the best equipped to handle that, and we acknowledge that that's not what our primary role should be,’” Chief Lee explained to the Houston Chronicle. Harris County Precinct One Commissioner Rodney Ellis: “This is about which expert should respond to a 911 call, and in the past, we’ve asked too much of our friends in law enforcement when it comes to 911 calls for people experiencing a crisis or struggling with health issues and homelessness. When it's a robbery in progress, or a shooting, then obviously we need to send an armed sheriff’s deputy. But if we are talking about a person sleeping on a sidewalk, or a teenager who is suicidal and swallowed pills, then we need a behavioral health expert to respond. That’s the kind of crucial work that HART’s crisis intervention specialists do every day, and this is what it looks like to fully fund public safety in Harris County—we’ve got law enforcement, we’ve got mobile crisis response, and we’ve got community violence intervention. We are sending the right experts to solve the right problems.”  In Seattle, City Approves New “Permanent Expansion And Direct Dispatch” Of CARE Mobile Crisis Responder Team. Seattle announced last month that the Community Assisted Response and Engagement, or CARE—the city’s “third branch of public safety” co-equal to the city’s police and fire departments—will remove the team size cap from its previous contract. Now, the new contract that the mayor advanced “allows for permanent expansion and direct dispatch of the CARE department’s crisis responder teams.” The move, the mayor said, “marks a significant milestone for efforts to diversify emergency response options.” The expansion of the team will begin immediately, with the budget already approved to “double the number of CARE Community Crisis Responders… as well as supervisors, a new training manager, and additional equipment,” as well as “expanding the types of incidents [the team] can be dispatched to, and authorizes [the team] to be solo dispatched” to some 911 calls for service. 2. Cities Launching Mediation Responder Teams To Handle Non-Emergency 911 Calls For Service. Local Leaders In Iowa City, Iowa, Launch Pilot Mediation Team To Respond To “Calls About Noise Complaints, Disputes Between Neighbors, Loitering.” For The Gazette, Megan Woolard reports on a new 15-month pilot for an unarmed mediation responder team that “will serve as another response to 911 or other crisis line calls typically handled by local law enforcement…  typically involving interpersonal conflict… such as noise complaints, disputes between neighbors, custody exchanges and loitering.” Dan Kornfield, who oversaw the creation of a similar team in Dayton, explained to the newspaper that there are a lot of calls for service that do not need an armed responder, a mobile crisis team, nor a fire department medic—that’s where a Mediation Responder Team comes in: “If you call 911 and it's not a fire and it's not a medical emergency, it's [often] automatically police, even if the issue is kids are loitering on the sidewalk, or my neighbor's trash can is touching my truck, a lot of things we wouldn't imagine our 911 calls are.” Kornfield added that Mediation Responder Teams can “provide both a better fit response to nonviolent disputes and also helps law enforcement by saving them time and energy from having to respond to noncriminal calls…. having a badge and a gun is counterproductive to a lot of those calls.” In Dayton, where the first mediation responder model was launched in the country and has now become integrated into the city’s 911 response system, the mediation responder team handles thousands of calls for service a year “that police officers in the past used to handle,” Dayton Daily News reported. The team largely handles complaints like “unruly or misbehaving youth; barking dogs or other pet issues; disorderly individuals; tenant and landlord fights; and assistance with child visitation or custody exchanges.” In Whatcom County, Washington, Mediation Team Responded To More Than 2,000 Calls For Service Just Last Year. Whatcom News reports on the county’s mediation team, called the Alternative Response Team, or ART—which the county describes as “a benefit [to] people having mental or behavioral health challenges, and benefit [to] our police personnel, allowing them to respond to other emergent calls requiring law enforcement intervention”—just last year responded to 2,410 calls for service, “acting as a vital alternative to law enforcement.” The team, dispatched via 911 to calls for service related to “welfare checks or disorderly conduct… fills the critical gap between jail and hospitalization.” The two-person teams average a 14-minute response time and focus on “de-escalation and connecting individuals to housing and mental health services” when needed. 3. Momentum For Community Violence Intervention Teams Across The Country.  In Birmingham, Alabama, “Homicides Drop 42% As City Highlights Community Violence Intervention Efforts.” For ABC News, Emily Cundiff reports on the CVI program, which operates in “one of the city’s neighborhoods most impacted by gun violence,” and, following the work of the CVI team, “according to city data, homicides dropped 42% year over year” in the neighborhood. The trained team of violence intervention specialists “focuses on street outreach, conflict mediation and connecting people at high risk of gun violence with resources such as mental health services, housing assistance and employment opportunities.” In Berkeley, California, “Gun Violence Has Plummeted…[This CVI Team] Helped Make It Happen.” For Berkeleyside, Alex Gecan reports that the city “has seen the fewest shootings citywide in nearly a decade…[and] a network of violence intervention workers,” known as the Gun Violence Intervention and Prevention Program, “has been working to keep the numbers down.” The team’s street outreach workers coach people at risk of gun violence, “sometimes victims and their friends and families, sometimes those suspected of or likely to commit gun violence, sometimes both at once, at all hours of the day or night and often for hours at a time.” Since the program launched, the team has “had over 1,000 sessions and check-ins” with residents who are at risk of gun violence, “and they have made hundreds more overtures and interventions — mediating longstanding feuds before they can turn violent…” In Milwaukee County, Mentorship Program Shows Early Promise In Youth Violence Reduction. The Milwaukee Courier reports on the latest data out of the county’s CVI team, called the “Credible Messenger Program,” which “intervenes in gun violence … and is staffed by individuals with lived experience and previous justice involvement who support youth through transformative mentoring.” As the Courier notes, the program “has made significant strides in improving public safety and supporting Milwaukee County youth involved in the justice system”—in just its first year in operation, the program “reported a 77% success rate for [reducing] recidivism and [increasing] pro-social behavior” for the youth entered into the program. The division also reported that “66% of the youth received at least 26 weeks of mentoring—essential for positive outcomes according to research, delivering more than 2,000 combined hours of mentoring.”

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[Matt Ferner]

Harvard Examines How Crisis Responder Teams Are Operating Around The Country

Three Things To Read This Week

1. Report: Harvard Examines How Crisis Responder Teams Are Operating Around The Country. Published by the Harvard Kennedy School Government Performance Lab, the new landscape analysis examines 911 and program data from nine crisis response teams in operation around the country. Using de-identified dispatch and operational data, the report examines how the teams are structured, dispatched, and integrated into local emergency systems. Across the report, researchers identify “findings on emerging trends in program model variation” and “on early insights into performance.” The nine programs examined include some of the most lauded responder programs around the country that Safer Cities has been covering for years, including: Durham’s Holistic Empathetic Assistance Response Team (HEART), Harris County’s Holistic Assistance Response Team (HART), Los Angeles’s Unarmed Model of Crisis Response, Madison’s Community Alternative Response Emergency Services (CARES), Minneapolis’s Behavioral Crisis Response (BCR), New Orleans’s Mobile Crisis Intervention Unit, Portland’s Street Response (PSR), and San Francisco’s Homeless Engagement Assistance Response Team (HEART) and Street Crisis Response Team (SCRT). The full report is worth your time, but here are some of the emerging trends and learnings researchers highlighted: Embedding Into 911 Systems: “The majority of incidents [that these crisis teams] respond to come directly from 911 dispatch” … and crisis responder teams were the “primary and only responder team” in 79 percent of incidents.  They Resolve Most Calls Without Assistance From Law Enforcement, EMS: “The majority of 911 incidents CRTs respond to are handled alone, without additional responder teams on scene.” When dispatched as primary response, CRTs are “responding to, and resolving, 95 percent of incidents on scene,” and they “rarely request back up while resolving 911 incidents as a primary response.” Interdisciplinary Teams Can Handle Wider Range Of Calls For Service: “CRTs in our sample are mostly interdisciplinary, unarmed teams (mental/behavioral health, crisis, medical, and people with lived experience)” and they are “taking a wide range of non-violent 911 calls, not just mental health — including welfare checks, trespassing, and social service needs” with “incidents related to mental health and welfare checks comprising the largest percentage of incidents.” Teams Provide Immediate Response As Well As Connection To Stabilizing Services After Acute Crises: “When dispatched to 911 incidents, CRTs provide immediate on-scene response,” and “provide connections to voluntary services including case management and care coordination, shelter/housing resources, and medical services.” Spotlight On Some Of The Teams From The Harvard Report: Durham’s HEART Has Responded To More Than 40,000 Emergency Calls, Has “Alleviated Strain On The Police Department.” Since its launch, Durham’s Holistic Empathetic Assistance Response Team, or HEART, has handled more than 40,000 calls for service, according to the latest city data tracking the program. For WRAL, Lora Lavigne reported that HEART’s work “helped avert thousands of crises and alleviated a strain on the police department.” City leaders expanded the team last year, including “17 new full-time HEART staff members… [and] expanded coverage during the day as the city plans to eventually operate 24/7,” CBS17 reported. Durham Police Chief Patrice Andrews recently said that the Durham Police Department “continues to be fully supportive of the HEART Program… because it enables us to focus on more appropriate law enforcement needs throughout our community.” Portland Expanded Its Street Response Team Into A Community Safety-Style Department—“An Equal Part Of The City's Public Safety System, Alongside Police And Fire.” For KGW8, Portland’s NBC News affiliate, Blair Best reported on Portland’s City Council passing a resolution to expand the Portland Street Response team last summer, “formally establishing [it] as an equal branch of the city's public safety system… to take some of the burden off first responders like police and firefighters.” The department, which has been responding to mental health calls since 2021 when it first launched, will now be expanding its ranks and reach to 24/7 service across the city. Its staff receives the full “designation as first responders, with all the associated [employment] benefits,” and the team “will also get direct dispatch through 911.” A spokesperson for the city’s police department told the news channel that Portland Street Response “are a valuable piece of Portland's public safety system, and we work with them regularly. We hear on the radio all the time officers asking for PSR, and it gives those officers another option for someone who doesn't need police assistance but needs help in other ways … We're happy to do our part and welcome an expansion of their program.” In First Year Pilot, Los Angeles UMCR Team Responded To Nearly 7,000 Calls, “Saved LAPD Officers’ Time … [So They Could] Respond To Higher Risk Calls For Service.” That’s one of the key takeaways from a report published by the L.A. City Administrator’s Office, which examined the calls for service, response times, and resources saved by the UMCR crisis responders’ pilot in the city. The responders, “provide 24/7 mobile crisis responses to appropriate and eligible calls for service… related to mental health crises, substance abuse, welfare checks, and indecent exposure.” The city found that UMCR responder teams “are highly efficient, which is crucial for mitigating the impact of a crisis… not just responding quickly but also taking the time to evaluate the situation properly and plan for any necessary follow-up…. [an] approach [that] ensures that any immediate needs of the person in crisis are met while also addressing long-term support.” In their first year, the team responded to 6,738 calls for service and allowed for “6900+ hours [of law enforcement] patrol time saved.” 2. Study: Longer Engagement In Boston’s Hospital-Based Violence Intervention Program Linked To Lower Future Violence. In a new study published in the Annals of Internal Medicine, researchers from Boston University School of Public Health examined Boston Medical Center’s hospital-based violence intervention program (called the Violence Intervention Advocacy Program) and evaluated whether it reduced future violence among “young adults aged 16 to 34 years who survived a shooting or stabbing.” The authors used a “target trial emulation using observational data,” comparing two treatment strategies: “any treatment”—engaging “within 1 month of injury”—and “sustained treatment”—initiating within 1 month and “engaging more than 4 of the first 8 weeks” post-hospitalization. Researchers tracked a combined outcome—“violent reinjury or violence perpetration”—using “hospital and police data” at 1, 2, and 3 years after the index injury. Notably, the researchers found that patients who received “sustained treatment” were linked to “considerably lower cumulative incidence” of violence at 1, 2, and 3 years—with risk reductions exceeding 50% at two- and three-year follow-up. Other key findings:  Sustained Engagement Was Associated With Much Lower Risk. In the “sustained engagement analysis,” treatment was linked to “considerably lower cumulative incidence … 6.4% … at 3 years” versus “14.3%” in the control strategy … with “risk reductions … 55.3% … at 3 years.” Dosage Mattered. The authors conclude that HVIPs can improve long-term violence outcomes, but that “these effects seem to require intensive participant engagement.” That’s in contrast to the “any-treatment analysis,” where researchers found that “estimated cumulative incidence was roughly equal between the treatment and control strategies.” Models Vary. The findings affirm the “violence prevention potential of HVIPs,” but researchers caution that because “there is no single, agreed-upon package of services for all HVIPs,” “it is unknown how our results may generalize to other HVIPs.” Two More Hospital-Based Violence Intervention Programs Showing Promise: In Virginia, Hospital-Based Violence Intervention Programs Across The State See “A Sharp Decline In Re-Injury Rates.” For The Virginia Mercury, Charlotte Rene Woods reports that the 12 HVIPs across the state, which “provide wraparound services… [to] victims of violence” are receiving a funding boost of $8.5 million from the state to continue their vital work. Since 2019, the newspaper notes, “more than 8,000 victims of violence have been served” by HVIPs across the state, which has produced “over $82 million in health care costs avoided due to preventing and reducing re-injury rates,” nearly half of that “estimated to be direct savings to the state.” A recent report from the American Hospital Association estimated that the total cost of violence to U.S. hospitals was roughly $18 billion annually. Moreover, the state’s Hospital and Healthcare Association, which oversees the hospitals providing violence intervention programming, announced that the effort has “resulted in a sharp decline in re-injury rates—the national average is 40 percent, compared to 3 percent for HVIP patients” in the state. In Georgia, Grady Memorial Hospital’s Interrupting Violence In Youth and Young Adults Project Sees Reinjury Rate “Far Below The National Standard.” Emory University School of Medicine, which helps to oversee the IVVY program that runs out of the Level 1 Trauma Center at Grady Memorial Hospital, recently announced that the program is making a significant impact in reducing violence in the region, with “less than two percent of patients treated in coordination with the IVVY Project have returned with a gunshot wound—a reinjury rate far below the national standard of 30-40 percent.” A recent paper published in Trauma Surgery & Acute Care Open by some of the physicians working in the IVVY program outlined the hospital-based violence program’s novel “three-pronged continuum of care model” called the “Bedside, Clinic, Community” model, which extends violence intervention beyond the hospital stay. Its three pillars include:  “Bedside” care, where violence intervention specialists meet patients at the hospital bedside during the acute treatment phase, “providing immediate care to victims of violence at the time of injury” ensuring that they receive “medical treatment and psychological support” while creating “a seamless transition to ongoing wraparound services” in the later phases of treatment. A multidisciplinary “Clinic,” a “one-stop shop” that combines ongoing medical care beyond the acute treatment phase as well as social services, including “physicians, advanced practice providers, wound care specialists, mental health experts, a social worker…” The clinic serves as a “critical bridge between immediate bedside care and long-term community resources.” A “Community” partnership that connects patients to organizations for ongoing wraparound supports addressing “mental health services,” “education,” “employment,” “financial,” and “legal aid,” and broader housing, transportation, and food security programs. 3. Report: Expanding Crisis Response Requires Building A New Behavioral Health Workforce. In a new report published in the journal Psychiatric Services, researchers examine the rapid expansion of mobile crisis response systems across the country. Various investments have accelerated the expansion of the “third branch of public safety,” co-equal to police and fire, but the authors argue these efforts have been “hampered by limitations of the behavioral health workforce.” As crisis systems scale, workforce shortages persist, and new training academies are needed. The researchers propose that cities begin to build a new professional role—the “community behavioral health crisis responder”—grounded in “distinct values, competencies, and skills” to meet the growing demand. The full paper is worth reading, but here are some toplines: Expansion Is Outpacing Workforce Capacity: “Behavioral health workforce shortages continue to present a challenge” to meet demand. Thirty-four states report shortages in mobile crisis staffing, “particularly social workers and other licensed providers, peers, and bilingual staff.” Distinct Professional Role And Credentials: The authors argue that “a new professional role is needed that is rooted in unique competencies rather than attached to existing advanced academic credentials.” They urge states to “establish a [new] credential,” noting that “state behavioral health agencies as well as independent state and national credentialing agencies should establish and manage a credential” and that “some states are already developing their own certifications.” Developing Training Infrastructure: The report recommends strengthening “the role of community colleges in crisis response workforce development,” arguing they are “well positioned to prepare trainees for credentialing” and can serve “as a pipeline for the local crisis response workforce.” The authors also call for regional “centers of excellence” to provide “standards, training, and technical assistance focused on crisis response workforce development.” Related: Albuquerque Community Safety Department Has Its Own Academy Training The Next Gen Responder Workforce. The city announced its latest cohort of responder trainees at its academy last month, the department’s “12th academy class since ACS was established.” At the academy, trainees learn how to properly “address complex needs… including mental and behavioral health crises, homelessness, and substance use…. through comprehensive classroom instruction and hands-on training.” And new recruits are needed—the Community Safety Department has responded to a staggering 137,000 calls for service since its launch. ACS responders receive enhanced training through a partnership with Central New Mexico Community College, KRQE’s Scott Brown reports with a mixture of classroom learning, “hands-on” experience, and intensive “scenario–based” training.

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[Matt Ferner]

Report: States Share Lessons On Building Coordinated Crisis Systems Across 911 And 988. 

Three Things To Read This Week

1. Report: States Share Lessons On Building Coordinated Crisis Systems Across 911 And 988. The Council of State Governments published some of the early learnings from a recent convening of four states—New Jersey, Utah, Virginia, and Washington—where state leaders are integrating 911 and 988 emergency response into a single, coordinated system that saves resources and reduces response times for all first responder teams, from law enforcement to mobile crisis response to fire to paramedics. The full report is worth reading for any local leader looking to successfully integrate 911 and 988, but here are some of the toplines: Clear Dispatch Protocols And Defined Roles Improve Crisis Routing: State leaders in Washington and New Jersey reported persistent friction when crises move across systems, with “uncertainty around call transfers, liability…transportation, and decision-making authority” slowing response times and creating gaps in care. State leaders in Utah and Virginia emphasized that “clearly defined dispatch protocols were most effective when implemented alongside defined roles across agencies, shared understanding of who is responsible across each decision point, and escalation criteria to help route crises to the most appropriate response.” Standardized Training And Shared Data Improve Outcomes: Across all four states, leaders pointed to “staffing shortages, training demands, and variation in credentialing” as the primary challenges to scaling crisis systems statewide. Utah and Washington are responding by highlighting their “investments in standardizing their training models, including regional and on-demand trainings designed to build shared expectations across systems.” Leaders also explained that “being able to rely on accurate and up-to-date crisis response data has helped many of these states better understand call outcomes, identify system gaps, and inform funding and legislative decisions.”  A Wider-Variety Of Responder Teams Are Needed: State leaders identified responder gaps, especially for crises involving “housing insecurity, substance use, or community conflict,” and others that don’t fit exactly with the responder teams that can be deployed. Expanding the variety of teams cities deploy can be a solution, giving each a specific function—mobile crisis response for mental health-related calls for service, homeless response team for calls related to homelessness, mediation response for low-level disputes between neighbors, and others. To get there, states may need to rethink definitions of crisis itself, moving beyond “narrow statutory definitions” and building “alternative dispatch and response pathways” that better reflect the crises in a given community. Spotlight On Three Cities Already Integrating 911 And 988 Emergency Response: In Houston, Texas, The “911 Call Diversion Program And Rapid Response Continue To Strengthen The City’s Fourth Emergency Response.” For CrisisTalk, Stephanie Hepburn reports on the city’s “24-hour crisis call diversion program” that “is embedded within Houston’s 911 call center, providing a fourth emergency response—mental health and substance use intervention.” The program, which “dispatches mental health clinicians” to “nonviolent, non-criminal 911 calls and police department non-emergency line calls” has been in operation since 2016 and gives city leaders looking to integrate 911 and 988 a successful working model to consider.  The program is “run by the Harris Center for Mental Health and Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities” and coordinates “in real time with 911 call center partners, including the city’s police and fire departments.” When a person calls 911, “a call taker assesses the nature of the emergency and determines the response the call requires and priority type… [and] directly live transfer callers experiencing mental health or substance use concerns so long as there’s not an imminent, life-threatening risk or criminal activity.” Last year, crisis call diversion diverted 5,033 calls from 911, a 21.6% increase from 2023,” and their rapid response “resolved 84% of calls without law enforcement involvement.” The Harris Center serves as a hub for a wide variety of responder teams, and health facilities, that allows for targeted response and better outcomes for people in crisis and the teams responding, including: Mobile Crisis Outreach Team: This team provides “response services to individuals of all ages who are experiencing a mental health crisis and are unable to access services independently… until the crisis is resolved or the individual is placed in a clinically appropriate environment.” Homeless Outreach Team: This team “engages in street outreach to the homeless community to provide outreach services and case management to individuals who are homeless and experiencing a serious behavioral illness… to reduce the number of people who are homeless and living on the streets.” Crisis Stabilization Unit: This facility “provides inpatient stabilization for Harris County residents (ages 18+) who are experiencing an acute behavioral health crisis… psychiatrists and registered nurses provide supervision of the unit… [which is] available 24 hours/day, 365 days/year….[with patients having an] average stay [of] approximately 3-5 days.” Psychiatric Emergency Services: This facility “provides psychiatric evaluations and initial treatment to individuals of all ages in psychiatric crises… the unit is staffed 24 hours/7 days a week by psychiatrists, psychiatric nurses, clinical social workers, licensed professional counselors, psychiatric technicians, and behavioral health specialists…” Los Angeles County, California, “Expands Effort To Divert [911] Mental Health Crisis Calls” To Counselors At 988. For LAist, Robert Garrova reports on the county’s expansion of a “program that diverts some non-violent 911 calls for service… away from law enforcement… to 988 [crisis counselors]” to provide mental health care to people in crisis, while preserving stretched police resources for solving crimes. The expansion allows emergency calls “related to mental health crises made to the sheriff's Century Station [to] now be diverted to counselors trained on de-escalation.” The program has seen promising results where it is already in operation at the sheriff’s “Lancaster Station and at police departments in South Gate and Pomona,” so local leaders decided to expand it to a wider footprint. Local leaders explained that a similar integration effort that was piloted with the LAPD “diverted about 1,400 calls for service in 2024 alone… [with crisis] counselors able to handle 97% of those calls without law enforcement involvement.” Janice Hahn, a county supervisor and champion of the integration program in her district, explained to the news site that “connecting 911 to the mental crisis hotline, ensures that law enforcement and first responders can focus on keeping our neighborhoods safe while mental health professionals can step in to support those who need them.” In Salt Lake City, Utah, “Innovative Dispatch Diversion Program Gives More Crisis Options.” For CSG Justice Center, Megan Hitchman highlights the city’s “model of cooperation between 911 dispatch and mental health services… [that] translates to major benefits for our community members and cost savings for our 911 and law enforcement partners.” The program developed as “law enforcement and dispatch personnel had noticed that many of their calls involved mental health needs rather than medical emergencies.” So city leaders decided to integrate 988 and 911, and “directors from law enforcement, dispatch, and Huntsman Mental Health Institute collaborated to devise a strategy to divert appropriate calls to 988 so people can get the support they need.” They decided that “law enforcement still handles calls involving immediate physical threats” and other related emergencies, while “nonemergency mental health crises… or nonviolent conflicts” could be safely diverted to 988 dispatch, instead.  “Though it’s early, the results have been promising. Amanda McNab, a clinical therapist who manages the 988 side of the team, explained that they are seeing only a “low number of cases needing re-transfer to 911” and that the volume of available calls is so high that the team is “on track to expand the collaboration [across] Utah by the end of the year.” 2. Spotlight: L.A. Metro Transit Ambassadors Launch New Division, “Headed By A Licensed Clinical Social Worker,” For “A Pinpointed Response” To Homelessness And Drug Use, Enhancing “Safety On Trains, Buses, Stations.” For The Daily News, Steve Scauzillo reports on the new unit launched by the L.A. Metro Transit Ambassadors, called, “Care-Based Services Division,” where “the idea is to match the call with the right kind of response, instead of the old model of always calling in armed law enforcement to every situation.” Craig Joyce, the clinician leading the team, explained to the newspaper that if a call for service comes in “and the words ‘mental health’ was part of that call, they would bring in a mental health team” now.  Just last year, county leaders expanded the Transit Ambassadors program, as Pasadena Now reported, “creating an in-house Transit Ambassador department” a move that made the Transit Ambassador team “officially now Metro employees — a milestone that is a reflection of the program’s success,” county leaders said in an announcement of the shift. Transit Ambassadors “help riders navigate the Metro system, provide assistance, connect them to resources and report issues that need to be addressed… including summoning emergency help for those customers in distress, as well as providing critical live-saving support.” Since the program first launched in 2023, the team has “helped over 645,000 people…” and saved over 300 lives. A recent UCLA study on the city’s transit ambassador program found that “the program has largely been a success,” makes riders feel safer while using public transit, and that having their “eyes on the system, helping people navigate… tell you which train to go… [the team is] deterring crime and anti-social behavior simply by being there…” 3. Clean Teams Around The Country “Empty Trash Cans, Scrub Graffiti And Deal With The City’s Human Crises.” In St. Cloud, Minnesota, New Clean Team Focuses On “Cigarette Butts, Debris And Safety… To Make [Downtown] A Better Place. For St. Cloud Live, Trent Abrego reports on the city’s downtown clean team, which launched just six months ago, but is already seeing results. The clean team focuses on “sweeping sidewalks, picking up trash, removing snow [in the winter months]...” and removing graffiti, and as KNSI News reports, the team has been busy, having “picked up 15,000 cigarette butts, pulled over 5,200 weeds, and removed 3,500 pieces of litter since they first hit the streets.” John Torgerson, who oversees the team, explained to the newspaper: “the presence of the green shirts, green vests, and great jackets help create a [safe] environment… I haven’t heard one negative comment.” In Worcester, Massachusetts, “Quality Of Life Team Is Cleaning Up, Helping People.” For Boston25 News, Cayle Thompson and Bob Dumas report on the city’s clean team focused on “making sure neighborhoods are not only safe but are also welcoming and thriving.” The team picks up “improperly disposed trash on city streets… mattresses and old TVs… [abandoned] shopping carts that had been dumped in a neighborhood… discarded hypodermic [needles] along popular trails”—all part of an effort to produce “a clean city that makes everyone proud.” The team, in operation for about two years, also works with the city’s homeless population, providing connection to medical care and city services. Derek Oakes, who was formerly homeless in the city, said his life began to turn around after a chance encounter with the Quality of Life team. He told the news station: “I was actually homeless two years ago and I ran into Quality of Life, and they gave me a chance on giving me a place to live, so it’s been successful. I’ve been there a year now, I just got my lease renewed. thanks again to the Quality of Life… they saved my life.” In Denver, Clean Team “Empty Trash Cans, Scrub Graffiti And Deal With The City’s Human Crises.” For Denverite, Paolo Zialcita reports on the city’s clean team, outfitted in bright blue shirts and jackets, and “armed with an arsenal of garbage bags and trash grabbers… [and] golf carts” to “clean up some of Denver’s most popular corridors.” The team is “visible, uniformed, approachable, and trained … to keep public spaces clean, cared-for, and welcoming—block by block.” What that looks like is “rapid storefront cleanups at neighborhood spots … quick litter pulls… sweeping around bus stops, refreshing cans that were in tough shape, and washing down hot spots so sidewalks felt safe and walkable again…[and] fast graffiti response when tags appear in high-visibility locations.” The team describes its role in the city’s public safety infrastructure, because “clean, bright corners feel safer… that brings more feet on the block and steadier business days… quick [cleanups] prevent bigger, costlier fixes… [and] it’s good for the corridor … builds trust with boards, owners, and neighbors.”

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[Matt Ferner]

Report: “Community Violence Intervention Investments Have Helped Reverse Chicago’s Shooting, Homicide Trends.”

Three Things To Read This Week

1. Report: “Community Violence Intervention Investments Have Helped Reverse Chicago’s Shooting, Homicide Trends.” For PBS in Chicago, Matt Masterson reports on the latest findings from Northwestern University researchers who examined the impact of Community Violence Intervention programs in the city and discovered that “increased investments in a violence intervention program that targets Chicago communities and hotspots with the highest rates of gun violence have led to continued declines in the number of shootings and homicides.” The researchers also found that the “community areas with the greatest CVI investment … saw the largest reversals in shooting trends following pandemic-era spikes in gun violence.” The full report, published by the Illinois’ Government Alliance For Safe Communities division of the Department of Health, is worth your time, but here are some of the topline findings: Investment Scaled Reach And Service Delivery: “Levels of participation and service provision increased with public investment…” as grantees “served over 27,000 CVI participants… providing over 60,000 services.” The model is reaching its intended population “in communities…with the highest levels of gun violence” and is delivering “a range of holistic services [from] basic needs [to] employment and mental health supports.” Programs Are Reaching Highest-Violence Communities: “Public investment is going to the communities with the highest need,” with funding “funneled… into communities with the highest levels of violence.” The data shows alignment between dollars and demand — areas with “the highest average quarterly investment… also served the largest number of participants,” indicating funds are “supporting the growth of CVI in areas with the greatest need.” Highest Investment Areas Saw The Largest Violence Reductions with the most sustained investment “experienced the largest reversals in shooting trends,” with those receiving “more than $500,000 per quarter” seeing the strongest gains. Critically, “only those communities receiving the largest quarterly investments… experienced a 2024 shooting rate lower than their pre-pandemic baseline… in 2019.” Related: California Governor Gavin Newsom announced this month that the state was also deepening its investment in CVI-related programs, awarding $107 million, distributed to 42 cities, counties, and groups across the state, that “support proven, community-driven strategies to reduce shootings, homicides, and retaliatory violence… including trauma-informed intervention, credible messenger street outreach, wraparound services for families at risk, and intensive case management for youth and adults most impacted by violence.” New York Governor Hochul also announced investments of nearly $21 million into CVI and hospital-based CVI programs “that work to reduce gun violence and save lives across New York.” One such investment is going to the successful “SNUG Street Outreach” programs—known as “SNUG Zones” in the many neighborhoods they serve—which, according to data from the state’s Department of Criminal Justice Services, “last year collectively showed a significant, double-digit decrease in shooting victims, individuals killed by gun violence and shooting incidents with injury when compared to 2024.” 2. Sobering Centers Providing Comprehensive Treatment, “Instead Of Turning To Emergency Rooms Or Law Enforcement.” Spokane County, Washington Expanding Sobering Center To “Reduce … Strain On Local Emergency Rooms, And Criminal Justice System.” For KREM, Emmalee Appel reports on the county Board of Commissioners approval of a $3 million expansion for the county’s Crisis Relief and Sobering Center, a facility that the board said has become a “critical investment for [the] region… providing timely, recovery-focused care for those who need it most.” The facility, which has provided treatment to more than 7,000 patients since its opening in 2021—some of whom would have previously been taken to a jail or ER—is staffed by medical professionals who provide patients with “mental health counseling and substance use disorder treatment services, medication assisted treatment options, and individualized support and recovery plan development.” When needed, staff also connect patients to vital county and state services like “housing enrollment, veteran programs… health insurance navigation, [and] primary care connection and case management.”  The expansion will allow for more patients to be served in the facility and expand services available which “results in a greater chance of recovery… [continues to] reduce the strain on local emergency rooms, and… involvement in the criminal justice system… [and] saves taxpayers' and individuals' money,” the county explained.   In Massillon, Ohio, Health Center Expands With New 80-Bed Sobering And Recovery Center. For The Massillon Independent, Steven Grazier reports on the city’s existing medical center expanding with a “new drug and alcohol recovery facility with 80 beds” that will provide “inpatient detox and care, medication for substance disorders… mental health treatment. . . and post-care planning and referrals” to patients with substance use disorder. The medical center invested around $1 million to renovate a former “intensive-care unit” at the facility, transforming it into the expansive “two-floor, rehab center… [that will provide] 24-hour, substance abuse treatment.” The new sobering facility is staffed by “licensed physicians, nurse practitioners, physician assistants, nurses, licensed chemical dependency counselors, as well as peer support behavioral health technicians and support services.” Because of the center’s location within an existing medical center, the new facility will set itself apart from existing services in the city because they are the first to be able to accept “high-risk recovery patients … who take long-term antibiotics, and those having severe wounds or cardiac issues… [which is] a newer, more modern approach.” In South Sioux City, Nebraska “First-Of-Its Kind” Sobering Center Opening To Provide Comprehensive Treatment, “Instead Of Turning To Emergency Rooms Or Law Enforcement.” For KTIV News, Taylor Deckert reports on the new $5.5 million “first-of-its-kind detox center [opening] in Northeast Nebraska… [with] 12 mental health beds, and 12 detox beds”, so that“instead of turning to emergency rooms or law enforcement, individuals and families will have a local option designed specifically for stabilization, dignity, and recovery.” Patients will receive drug and mental health treatment at the center 24/7 from a staff of “registered nurses… therapists, caseworkers, peer support providers, and navigators.” Jennifer Jackson, who oversees the facility, explained to ABC9 News that the facility provides a new option for people experiencing a mental health or substance use crisis—“this is a diversion for the hospital, and this is also a diversion for jail,” providing them with treatment and connection to services to help stabilize them after they leave the facility, which the state of Nebraska found would “save the state $1,400,000 in year one and 1,700,000 in year two.” She also detailed the typical kind of patient that is treated at the center: “Let’s say somebody is drinking too much and they just want to stop, but they just cannot. This [facility is] a safe place where they can come, and they can be monitored 24/7. They can stay a couple of days until we get them into treatment. Then we’ll help them get to treatment.” 3. Crisis Stabilization Centers Providing Timely Mental And Behavioral Health Care, While Reducing Strain On City Budgets And Police Resources.  In Wichita, Kansas, Crisis Stabilization Center Model With Mobile Crisis Team “Generated $2.8 Million In Net Savings In A Single Year” For The City, Costing “Far Less Than Hospital- Or Jail-Based Responses.” For The Topeka-Capital Journal, Joan Tammany, the executive director of Wichita’s crisis stabilization center, and Michelle Hook, a registered nurse and behavioral health director, provide an update on the city’s crisis stabilization center. The center is at the heart of the “Wichita's community mental health care model” which has “save[d] millions” for the city since its launch.  Tammany and Hook detail a recent University of Kansas Medical School analysis of the center which found that “in 2023 alone, [the facility] resolved 1,143 mental health crisis episodes through its crisis center and mobile crisis teams…without involving an emergency room, ambulance or jail booking… [which] generated $2.8 million in net savings in a single year” for the city, and that overall “diverted $4.7 million in costs that otherwise would have fallen on emergency departments, EMS, law enforcement and the county jail,” because crisis facility and responder programs “cost far less than hospital- or jail-based responses.” Here’s what these numbers really mean, Tammany and Hook write: “Those savings translate into emergency rooms with more capacity to treat medical emergencies, police officers spending less time responding to behavioral health calls, and … most importantly, people experiencing an emergency are receiving care that actually helps them stabilize and recover … Transitions to follow-up treatment are smoother, coordination across providers is stronger, and outcomes improve for patients and their families. This is not about shifting costs from one system to another. It is about using the right interventions, at the right time, in the right setting — and allowing every part of the system to do what it does best… Across the country, this model has reduced emergency room use, lowered hospitalization rates, strengthened the behavioral health workforce and improved public safety. Wichita’s experience is a clear example of what’s possible when this model is fully supported. With budgets tight at federal and local levels and systems stretched thin, the lesson here is straightforward: Investing in community-based crisis care is fiscally responsible and lifesaving.” Momentum For Crisis Stabilization Centers Around The Country: Montgomery County Opening “First-Of-Its-Kind [Crisis Stabilization] Facility In Pennsylvania,” That Will “Reduce Unnecessary Hospitalization And Incarceration.” For CBS News, Nikki DeMentri reports on the historic groundbreaking for the new county Emergency Behavioral Health Crisis Center, a 24/7 “first-of-its-kind facility in Pennsylvania,” opening at the end of this year. When the facility opens its doors, it will “deliver round-the clock, walk-in crisis care for residents of all ages… that will take referrals from the County’s Mobile Crisis Team, individuals transported by police, EMS, and other first responders, as well as walk-ins.” The new model, county leaders explained, will “reduce unnecessary hospitalization and incarceration, while providing residents with timely, appropriate treatment.”  Long Island, New York Opens New 24/7 Crisis Center, “Expanding Access To Mental Health And Substance Use Care… Reducing Unnecessary Hospital Visits And Easing Strain On Emergency Services.” For The Long Island Herald, Olivia Simms reports on Long Island’s new crisis stabilization center that opened its doors at the end of last year that now offers people experiencing “a behavioral health crisis, options for immediate appropriate care,” a significant shift for the region where families and patients were forced to choose between “emergency rooms, law enforcement, or outpatient services” which do not provide appropriate mental nor behavioral health treatment.  The new 6,000-square-foot facility, staffed by “a multidisciplinary team that includes registered nurses, licensed behavioral health professionals, certified peer specialists with lived recovery experience, psychiatric nurse practitioners, substance use counselors, and behavioral health technicians,” provides children and families with “mental health screening and observation…counseling and recovery support… medication assisted treatment… [as well as] aftercare planning and coordination… regardless of ability to pay.”

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