More information is available at www.greensboro-nc.gov/csd.
GREENSBORO, N.C. — The City of Greensboro’s Behavioral Health Response Team (BHRT) has launched the Clinician Alternative Response (CAR), an expansion of its crisis response system that sends clinicians to certain 911 calls instead of law enforcement.
BHRT, part of the city’s Community Safety Department, began in 2020 as a co-response model pairing behavioral health crisis counselors with specially trained police officers to respond to 911 calls involving suspected mental health or substance use crises. The team focuses on de-escalation and connecting individuals to services.
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CAR expands that model by diverting eligible emergency calls to BHRT crisis counselors during weekday hours from 6 a.m. to midnight. The Greensboro Police Department said the change allows officers to focus on criminal incidents and higher-risk emergencies. BHRT staff and officers determine which calls qualify for a CAR response.
“We’re excited to offer CAR as an additional response model to help those in our community experiencing a mental health crisis,” said Behavioral Health Supervisor Dewey Mullis. “CAR aligns with the CSD’s motto of, ‘The right responders at the right time in the right situations.’”
During a pilot program from mid-February through April 2, operating 8 a.m. to 6 p.m., four clinicians responded to 45 emergency calls under the CAR protocol, reducing more than 60 patrol responses while maintaining the co-response model for higher-acuity incidents.
The Community Safety Department said its broader mission is to improve public safety through community-based prevention, crisis intervention and long-term case management for people dealing with mental health, substance use and homelessness issues that frequently bring them into contact with law enforcement.
More information is available at www.greensboro-nc.gov/csd.