NYC Announces Launch Of Pilot Mental Health Teams To Respond To 911 Calls

On November 10, 2020, New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio announced that the city would pilot mental health crisis teams in two high-need communities starting in February 2021. The pilot will dispatch mental health teams of emergency medical services professionals and mental health crisis workers, rather than police, for 911 calls for mental health emergencies. The mental health teams will seek to de-escalate emergency situations. The goal is to reduce the number of times police respond to 911 calls for mental health crises. As of November 24, the selected communities had not been announced, but city officials . . .