News

To better address behavioral health emergencies, Mayor Muriel Bowser announced a new program on Monday to provide targeted resources rather than general police dispatch.

The program trains 911 operators to identify mental health situations which triggers a behavioral health expert to go to the situation. Currently, the program is a pilot that launches next month. During the pilot, the Department of Behavioral Health's (DBH) Community Response Teams (CRT) will mobilize to respond to an emergency when so identified by a 911 call. The operators are currently receiving training on when to dispatch CRT and/or police to these types of calls. If the pilot is considered successful, the District will evaluate what additional resources would be needed to continue the program.

“This program builds on all our efforts to make sure we are providing residents the right care at the right time,” said Mayor Bowser in a press release. “The sooner we can identify what a person needs - whether that is an ambulance, a doctor’s appointment, or in this case, a visit from a behavioral health expert, the sooner we can help them. That’s what this is about: making sure we get Washingtonians the help they need when they call us.”

The pilot is a partnership between Office of the Deputy Mayor for Public Safety and Justice, the Office of the Deputy Mayor for Health and Human Services, the City Administrator, the Office of Unified Communications, and DBH.