As mobile mental health teams work to de-escalate crises, some warn their models still rely on police partnerships
In the wake of nationwide demonstrations against police brutality, there has also been a surge in interest in making sure mental health providers, not law enforcement, are the ones to respond to a psychiatric crisis.
It’s a strategy that mental health organizations have been sharpening for decades. Dozens of cities across the country have what are known as mobile crisis units, which deploy trained professionals to respond to people experiencing a mental health crisis with compassion and clinical expertise.
