Mental Health Response Teams Yield Better Outcomes Than Police In NYC, Data Shows
New York City has started the Behavioral Health Emergency Assistance Response Division, or B-HEARD, to provide more targeted care for those struggling with mental health issues. Here in March, an EMT worker cleans a gurney after transporting a suspected COVID-19 patient. Spencer Platt/Getty Images hide caption
New York City has started the Behavioral Health Emergency Assistance Response Division, or B-HEARD, to provide more targeted care for those struggling with mental health issues. Here in March, an EMT worker cleans a gurney after transporting a suspected COVID-19 patient.
A New York City pilot program that dispatches mental health specialists and paramedics instead of police for certain nonviolent emergency calls has resulted in more people accepting assistance and fewer people sent to the hospital, early data shows.
It's one of a number of programs underway around the country trying to address police violence and systemic racism following George Floyd's murder by providing alternatives to sending law enforcement to respond to emergency calls involving issues such as mental health or drug and alcohol crises.
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