Alternatives to 911 for Mental Health Crises

The Brian Lehrer Show | Aug 15, 2017

Families with a member facing a mental health crisis have an alternative to dialing 911: mobile crisis teams. A mobile crisis team is a group of health professionals, such as nurses, social workers and psychiatrists, who can provide mental health services, primarily in people's homes.

Cindy Rodriguez, WNYC reporter, Lance Winslow, Mobile Crisis supervisor, and Steve Coe, CEO of Community Access explain how mobile crisis teams work, and discuss other alternatives to calling law enforcement when emotionally disturbed people experience a mental health crisis.

To reach a mobile crisis team, people must call NYC Well, which is the city's mental health hotline. 

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