Indianapolis’ clinician-led community response team has expanded its 24/7 operations to the city’s southeast district, ABC affiliate WRTV reported Oct. 1.
The expansion follows a surge in mental health-related emergency calls from the area, according to Andrea Brown, the executive director.
“When we looked at the call data year to date, we have responded to over 1,600 calls, and when we looked at the numbers, the southeast district was the next highest district that was calling and requesting a clinician response,” she told the news outlet.
The program launched in 2023 to respond to calls involving mental health and substance use disorders, aiming to divert individuals from unnecessary encounters with the criminal justice system.
With the addition of the southeast district, the team now operates around the clock in four Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department districts: southeast, north, east and downtown. Nearly 63% of Indianapolis residents now live in an area served by the program.
Residents can reach the response team by calling 911 and indicating the call involves a mental health concern. Dispatchers are trained to determine whether the situation warrants a clinician-led response, the report said.
