NEW YORK — The New York City Council held a public hearing Monday on a pilot program that would send mental health professionals instead of police to certain situations.
Those directly affected spoke about the city’s B-Heard program.
Several City Council committees held a joint public hearing on the program, which would dispatch teams of Fire Department paramedics and paramedics, along with mental health professionals from NYC Health + Hospitals, to eligible 911 mental health calls, meaning there aren’t any concerns about violence or weapons.
The pilot program currently operates the teams 16 hours a day, seven days a week. One speaker said the program should be expanded to 24 hours a day. The pilot program is available in 31 of the city’s 77 police stations, and it was recently announced that it will be more flexible in its operation rather than being limited to those stations.
According to data released by the city last week, B-Heard responded to about 15,000 calls between July 2023 and June 2024. As for plans to expand the program, administrative budget constraints and hiring difficulties have been cited as reasons for the program not expanding.
“It’s the trust that comes from someone with real experience, regardless of the dynamic with police,” one person said.
“As soon as I found out the police had been called, my mental health crisis escalated,” one speaker said.
These lived experiences led them to seek out peer support during mental health calls.
Council members also heard from other cities, such as Denver, which uses STAR (Supportive Assisted Response) a private response dispatched by 911 to mental health calls. The STAR program provided 4,489 clinical responses to 2,943 patients in the past 12 months, with no arrests.
They were also encouraged to call the mental health number, 988, instead of 911 if they don’t need police, fire or paramedics. Mental health professionals will be stationed with dispatchers.
Alice Gaynor
