Sadly, many people experiencing a mental health crisis are placed in jail instead of getting the care they need. With Community-Led Alternative Response Programs for nonviolent calls, you get trained clinicians who can help people find freedom and lasting health without the threat of jail time or extended hospitalization.
Alternative Response Programs for Nonviolent Calls refer to community-led initiatives that respond to individuals experiencing behavioral or mental health crises without signs of violence. Instead of a police officer, a group of clinicians will respond to these events and provide care specific to the person’s needs. For example, the response team may provide mental health care, address housing needs, and ensure that they have access to adequate nutrition.
All these programs focus on putting the patient first, with the goal being long-term solutions and not momentary fixes.
How Community-Led Programs Respond to Nonviolent Calls
Community-led programs respond to nonviolent calls with a group of trained professionals. Who are they? The exact make-up of the team can vary based on the needs of the area. Still, some common positions are mental health professional, rehab specialist, community paramedic, and caseworker.
Together, this team can tackle the person’s issue and offer them the best chance at lasting help. While this is the best-case scenario, it’s not always the reality. In the later sections, we’ll talk about some of the pitfalls of the current system and why so many areas are looking to make positive changes with a community-led response.
Understanding the community-led response to nonviolent calls:
- Why These Programs Are Popular
- They Help Police Departments
- Reduce Jail Time and Improve Community Trust
- Offer Specialized Services
- Provide Follow-Up Care
- Mental Health Professionals as Responders
Note: Some of the names within mobile integrated healthcare can be confusing. Remember that mobile integrated healthcare and things like co-responder and alternative response programs can mean slightly different things in different areas. However, even though this can be confusing, know that as these programs develop, more standardized names will be used nationwide.
Why Community-Led Response Programs Are Popular
So what makes community-led response programs so popular? Why are these programs popping up in places like Indianapolis and elsewhere? Here are a few reasons why.
First, people in crisis were not getting the care they needed. Too often, someone with a mental health or behavioral crisis would call 911, only to have the same thing happen: they are assessed for any significant injuries, they are transported to the ER, they are released from the ER, and the cycle continues.
This method led to a buildup of patients at the ER, and very little long-term freedom for the people experiencing the problem. Not only that, but this method is expensive, demoralizing for responders, and can lead to negative encounters.
Second, many people in crisis situations are at risk of having a negative interaction with the police. Whether this inhibits their care (because the person is afraid to disclose necessary medical information for fear of jailtime) or because the patient is treated as committing a crime due to acting out, doesn’t change the fact that we want to reduce negative police interactions.
Finally, we have the clinicians who want to do it. People who work as mental health professionals and rehab specialists want to see real results in people’s lives. They got into the profession to see results, and many have been less than happy with the current system. They want change. And, since the beginning of many clinician-led community response programs, they’ve seen real change.
Alright, let’s talk more specifically about the police.
Community-Led Alternative Response Programs Help Police Departments
We talked about the police and ambulance service being stuck in an endless cycle with many patients. Here, it’s important to emphasize that this is not the fault of the police or EMS service – they are trained to respond to emergencies that present an immediate threat to life or limb, and that’s what they are good at.
However, when someone in crisis is having an emergency, they may require more long-term care. Someone with a broken leg needs surgery, and someone with a mental health condition may need long-term therapy. The former condition is something our emergency system is equipped to handle; the latter requires more follow-through, and that’s where community-led alternative response teams come into play.
We need to talk about the “nonviolent” aspect of the response. In most cases, PD would rather not be on scene unless absolutely required. Officers are stretched too thin and have too much to do.
However, if the person is truly violent and poses a danger to others, then PD should be part of the response to ensure everyone remains safe. While holistic care is essential, we cannot compromise immediate safety for potential long-term benefits. Even with community-led response teams (where PD is not usually front and center), the adage is still true: safety first.
While some areas may want to avoid calling PD, they should always be on scene if there is a true threat that cannot be contained any other way.
Reduce Jail Time and Improve Community Trust
With this method of very selective police response (only when a genuine safety concern is present), community-led response teams can reduce the number of people who end up in jail. This is excellent news, as it means less strain on the legal system and more people finding long-term care.
Due to a host of negative police interactions, sadly, there are some communities where the trust between the people and the police is at an all-time low. This leads to people being hesitant about calling for help for specific issues, even something that may be solely a medical emergency.
However, part of the community-led alternative response team’s mission is to build trust back up in the community. These teams want people to know they can call for help anytime if they have a problem.
Community-Led Alternative Response Programs: Offer Specialized Services (Housing, Food, etc.)
Community-led responses can offer more than mental health care and medical treatment. They can also care for a person’s social needs. Some of these response programs will include a social worker. The social worker can help ensure that children are fed and cared for, that the family has access to food, and that their housing situation is stable.
The community-led response understands that without these basic human needs met, it’s almost impossible to make meaningful progress in other areas of someone’s life. You can’t expect someone to recover from substance abuse disorder if they don’t have access to a stable meal.
Likewise, you cannot expect someone with a mental health problem to recover from depression if they don’t have a safe place to sleep. The social worker and local community leaders work together to ensure that these foundational needs are met to build a long-term health and wellness structure.
Community-Led Alternative Response Programs: Help People Who Need Follow-Up Care
If a community-led alternative response team encounters someone who has overdosed, they may send someone to check in on the person several days after the incident. Why?
Because this is a crucial window for several things. First, to ensure that the person has the care they need to remain safe after an overdose. Second, to ensure that they don’t overdose again. Third, they should be offered resources to get help and freedom.
Sometimes, this may be follow-up care for a substance abuse issue, and other times it may be follow-up care for a mental health crisis. Regardless of the cause, community-led teams try to guide people through the murky water of recovery. Many people don’t have support. Community-led alternative response programs are there to be the helping hand, every step of the way.
Let’s go over a few final thoughts and key points.
Key Points: The Ways Alternative Response Programs Impact Nonviolent Calls
When someone has a nonviolent crisis, be it a psychiatric issue, an issue with substance abuse, or a behavioral event, Alternative Response programs can make a big difference. The main way they do this is by changing their methodology – instead of looking for a crime, they are looking for a solution. Instead of making threats of jail time, they make offers of long-term care and rehab.
In many ways, Alternative Response Programs for Nonviolent Calls have reshaped how communities and first responders approach nonviolent 911 calls, fostering a shift toward more specialized, trauma-informed interventions. However, the only way it can work is if there is collaboration and coordination on the part of the responders; that’s why having a central platform upon which everyone can communicate is crucial to the success of any program.
Contact Julota if you’re interested to learn how their interoperable platform can let you collect information and coordinate care in your community.