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FOR
IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Maria Elena Baca, Communications, 612-348-7865
As part of a process to improve the response to mental health-related calls to 911 dispatch in Hennepin County, a pilot Alternative Response team has launched in the City of Brooklyn Park.
Alternative Response pairs a social worker with a community paramedic. Together, they respond to:
- Physical health care needs
- Social service needs
- Low-level mental health or substance use concerns
- Welfare checks
The goal is to offer the right help at the right time, reaching people before their concerns escalate to an emergency.
Alternative Response is a collaboration between Hennepin County, the Hennepin County Sheriff’s Office, Brooklyn Park Police Department, and North Memorial Health.
“The alternative response team is another example of the innovative ways the City of Brooklyn Park is finding to better serve our community,” said Brooklyn Park Police Chief Mark Bruley. “We look forward to seeing what this pilot can teach us.”
Criminal justice and behavioral health in Hennepin County
Unmet mental and chemical health needs can lead to people cycling in and out of jails and hospitals. In the traditional behavioral health system, barriers to early access results in inappropriate contacts with law enforcement and an overreliance on deep-end interventions.
“When it comes to public safety and behavioral health, we know this: No single agency or discipline can stop the cycle alone,” said Hennepin County District 1 Commissioner Jeffrey Lunde. “We need to leverage expertise, resources, and data from a variety of key stakeholders to transform from every angle.”
Hennepin County’s criminal justice behavioral health initiative seeks to add capacity to the mental health response system and reduce reliance on jails and hospitals.
“Hennepin County is working on the front end,” said Adesola Oni, area manager for Hennepin County’s criminal justice behavioral health initiative. “Alternative Response is one way we hope to improve outcomes for the people we serve, and connect residents to the services and supports they need.”
More about the Alternative Response team
After an enhanced triage process by Hennepin County dispatch, the Alternative Response team will respond with immediate help for needs that the 911 caller defines as urgent, and which the dispatcher does not flag as potentially violent or involving weapons.
The pilot is starting with one Alternative Response Team dispatched during daytime weekday hours in the city of Brooklyn Park. Data shows Brooklyn Park has the highest incidence of 911 calls that could be served by a response other than police, fire, or emergency medical services.
The pilot will be evaluated over the next two years, with the intent to expand to additional cities in Hennepin County.
Look for more news on the Hennepin County website at hennepin.us/news.
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