In Oklahoma City, a new program is diverting emergency mental health calls to trained social workers, peer support specialists and paramedics, instead of police officers.
The city's Mobile Integrated Healthcare program, which officially launched in May, is housed in the Oklahoma City Fire Department and provides alternatives for 911 calls related to behavioral or mental health needs.
In development since last year, the program is a response to 39 recommendations for improving the police department made to city officials in 2022. The recommendations came after local and nationwide protests called for police reform following the murder of George Floyd by Minneapolis police in 2020 and the death of multiple local Black residents in OKC police custody.
The Mobile Integrated Healthcare (MIH) program has four different teams, each with a specific function.
1. Crisis Call Diversion
When a 911 operator picks up an incoming call and the person on the line is experiencing a mental health crisis, the operator can transfer them to the Crisis Call Diversion Team. The team consists of a supervisor and two trained "navigators" who can help stabilize the caller.
Embedded in the city's 911 Communications Center, the navigators use the same software and communication systems as other operators. Lori Brown-Loftis, who oversees the whole program, said this setup creates natural channels of communication and establishes the team as an important new part of crisis response efforts.
If a call can't be stabilized remotely, navigators are also able to dispatch the Crisis Response Team, sending behavioral health professionals to respond in person.
2. Crisis Response Team
Oklahoma City has two Crisis Response Teams, each made up of a paramedic and a navigator. The teams respond to mental health emergency calls where an individual is displaying symptoms that may be a risk to themselves or others. They work to de-escalate situations and stabilize the individual in place.
Because Crisis Response Teams typically respond to some of the most serious calls, law enforcement officers with crisis intervention training may be dispatched with them.
3. Alternative Response Team
The Alternative Response Team responds to less severe behavioral and mental health needs in the community. The team also tackles overdose response, providing treatment, support and follow-ups to people struggling with substance use.
Brown-Loftis said the Alternative Response Team is an important part of decriminalizing mental health because it connects people to non-punitive options.
"There are some individuals that just showing up, a police officer in a uniform, causes a certain level of anxiety," she said.
Along with a navigator and paramedic, the team also includes a Certified Peer Support Recovery Specialist – a person in recovery from a mental health diagnosis and/or substance use disorder, who has been trained to work with others on their road to recovery.
"What peers are able to offer in a therapeutic relationship is invaluable," Brown-Loftis said. "They can actually promote hope. Kind of saying, 'hey, I know what it feels like to not know what's coming next, or to to think that there is not anything better after this … and I'm here to tell you that there is, that you can get better and that there are resources and people here that care about you.'"
5. Community Advocacy Program
The Community Advocacy Program helps frequent 911 callers with non-emergency issues like housing, food or mobility needs. The team builds relationships with callers and connects them to existing services to reduce their need for emergency help.
The program has been operated by the fire department for the last five years, but is now run by Brown-Loftis as part of the Mobile Integrated Healthcare program.
Funding and the future
The program is funded by the fire department's general fund and some of the city's opioid settlement money. Brown-Loftis said its 27-member team has been working in a "soft launch" capacity since January, getting acclimated to fire department, EMSA and police officer modes of operation.
"We still operate at a limited capacity because, at most, we have three teams available," she said.
As the program has gotten more established, Brown-Loftis also said the types of calls they respond to have expanded.
"I think one way that I didn't anticipate our team being effective or utilized really is for individuals who have died by suicide," Brown-Loftis said. "Being able to be on scene and provide support to whomever was either there, or loved ones and friends that then were affected by the individual that died by suicide and their loss."
She said she hopes, over time, she and her team will solidify their position as an essential part of crisis response in Oklahoma City. She plans to display their work, including cost savings generated by diversion and alternatives to incarceration, with a public-facing dashboard.
"I'm constantly proud of the things that we're doing here," Brown-Loftis said. "We have such an amazing team and such a diverse team that come from many different backgrounds and have many different areas of expertise."
The program currently operates from 7 a.m. to 11 p.m., seven days a week.
This report was produced by the Oklahoma Public Media Exchange, a collaboration of public media organizations. Help support collaborative journalism by donating at the link at the top of this webpage.
