Shifting the police response to mental health

Also: Here are the first 10 drugs that Medicare will target for price cuts [Donate ❤️]( [View in Browser](  August 29, 2023 Hi CommonHealth reader, Of the millions of 911 calls placed in the U.S. each year, as many as 20% [involve someone in a mental health crisis.]( Sometimes, these crises involve a threat to public safety. But often, they don’t. Still, police are usually the ones responding to these calls. And sometimes the outcomes can be tragic. My colleague Deborah Becker has reported [on such tragedies]( — when a person in a mental health crisis was killed by police. Deb also has been looking into [new strategies]( for responding to mental health calls. A growing number of communities are trying a strategy known as [alternative response](. That’s when civilian professionals respond to calls, instead of police armed with guns. Many other communities — in Massachusetts and other states — employ something called co-response, in which police and mental health professionals respond to calls together. These are fast-moving situations. It’s not easy to tell when armed officers are needed, or when mental health clinicians may be better equipped to respond. I talked to Deb about her reporting. Here’s a condensed version of that conversation: Priyanka Dayal McCluskey: How did you get interested in reporting this issue, and what drew you to want to learn more? DB: I covered some cases of people being fatally shot by police, and they were people who were experiencing a mental health crisis. I had been listening to a lot of the debate about how police respond to mental health crises — and perhaps changing that response. People had told me about various ideas for pilot programs for different types of response. And I thought, there's a lot going on here. This should be a story. PDM: When someone calls 911 in an emergency, how do dispatchers know if it’s a mental health–related call? How do they know if mental health professionals should be part of the response? DB: Well, sometimes that’s the tough thing. Operators are trained to ask specific questions to try to determine if there's a mental health issue, and to determine the safety risk. If there is a safety risk — even if it is a mental health issue — then officers would go. If it’s not determined to be a high safety threat, then they would probably send civilians or clinicians to respond and try to diffuse the situation. PDM: What are some of the strategies that police departments are using to respond to mental health calls? DB: I rode around with an officer and clinician in Framingham, where a police officer and the police department clinician go on patrol together and respond to calls together. The call that I responded to in Framingham was a wellbeing check. It was an elderly woman who was really confused. They went to check on her. And once the police said, "OK, this is just confusion and dementia," they let the social worker take over. There are critics who say, "What happens if it becomes dangerous?" They are very concerned that there aren't clear guidelines for how co-response should be modeled. It's sort of each department creating its own program. PDM: Are you seeing a culture shift at police departments? Does it seem like they want to include mental health professionals in this work, or is there skepticism as well? DB: It's a mix. Some police officers welcome the input, and welcome someone taking over the time-consuming work of directing people to the correct services. But there is a little bit of skepticism. Some police say, "We're supposed to respond. We have to protect public safety." Many of them firmly believe that. PDM: So, does it seem like there’s real change happening here? DB: I think there's real change happening. It's just — at least in Massachusetts — in the early stages. People realize that there needs to be a different approach. But I don't think that they've settled yet exactly on what the best approach is. Deb hosted a recent On Point episode about these issues, which you can find [here](. And stay tuned for more reporting from WBUR and NPR. P.S.— WBUR is launching a new newsletter! The [Newcomer’s Field Guide to Boston]( will help you navigate everything from the MBTA to the local restaurant scene to our ever-changing weather. Forward this email to share with a friend, family member or coworker who’s new to the city — and then get ready to help them explore. Priyanka Dayal McCluskey Senior Health Reporter [Follow]( Editor's note: The CommonHealth newsletter will be off next week for the Labor Day holiday. We'll be back Sept. 12. Support the news  This Week's Must Reads [Ozempic seems to curb cravings for alcohol. 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