New York City’s B-HEARD program — an initiative that sends health professionals, instead of police officers, to respond to 911 calls for nonviolent mental health emergencies — will transition to full operation by NYC Health + Hospitals in the spring of 2026.
The shift will remove Fire Department of the City of New York EMTs from the program, reassigning them to other emergency units to improve ambulance response times, according to a Nov. 14 news release.
Launched in 2021, B-HEARD teams have responded to nearly 35,000 mental health 911 calls. Of those evaluated by NYC Health + Hospitals clinicians, 43% were treated in the community rather than being taken to the hospital emergency department.
Patient feedback showed high satisfaction with the program’s approach: 96% of surveyed participants said B-HEARD helped them, and 94% said the response was more appropriate than prior traditional emergency interventions.
NYC Health + Hospitals delivers more than 60% of behavioral health services citywide, serving over 78,000 patients annually, according to the release.
