Aurora, Colo.-based UCHealth has partnered with the Manitou Springs (Colo.) Police Department to create a mental health crisis response unit, FOX21 reported Feb. 27.
The Manitou Crisis Response 1 unit will match behavioral health-related 911 calls with a police officer who has undergone mental health-related training and a licensed behavioral health clinician from UCHealth Memorial Hospital in Colorado Springs, Colo.
"The fact of the matter is, oftentimes, police officers are not the best people to respond to situations in which a licensed behavioral health clinician can use their expertise and training to better handle the situation," Bill Otto, chief of police for MSPD, told the news outlet. "This new unit is simply the best way to address any behavioral health-related calls."