The new Tallahassee Emergency Assessment Mobile Unit (TEAM) is actively responding to non-violent 9-1-1 calls for service with individuals experiencing a mental health crisis. The pilot program was approved last fall as the City Commission voted to implement special mental health initiatives in response to an emergent mental health need during the COVID-19 pandemic and other critical public safety incidents.
City staff from the Tallahassee Police Department (TPD), Tallahassee Fire Department (TFD), Consolidated Dispatch Agency (CDA) and Housing & Community Resilience department have been working with The Apalachee Center to develop the framework of a pilot mental health crisis response unit for several months. Initiatives like TEAM are designed to advance the City’s long-term strategic priority of building a safe, resilient and inclusive community through proactive, community-based solutions that enhance public safety.
“We know that many people in our community are struggling with mental health, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic. Through this innovative City program, TPD and TFD provide specialized support to members of our community in need. Engaging the TEAM after a non-violent mental health crisis call comes in to the CDA ensures that we connect highly skilled first responders and mental health professionals with residents in crisis,” Mayor John Dailey said.
The TEAM, which began responding to calls on March 29, consists of a licensed mental health professional, a TFD Paramedic or EMT and a Crisis Intervention Team trained TPD officer. Each year, the City takes approximately 2,300 non-violent calls for mental-health related help. Within an hour of activation, the TEAM received its first call.
“This groundbreaking partnership allows a coordinated, real-time response to mental health emergencies and ensures that individuals undergoing mental health crises have immediate access to trained, master’s level counselors who are at the scene, along with law enforcement and trained medical personnel. This partnership between City services and Apalachee Center mental health experts is transforming the emergency mental health response system in Tallahassee,” Dr. Jay Reeve, CEO of The Apalachee Center, said.
The TEAM is stationed at Fire Station 1 in downtown Tallahassee and is equipped to provide immediate medical and/or psychological stabilization, as well as on site assessment and referral for additional services beyond the initial incident.
With continued success, the pilot TEAM program could evolve into a 24/7 response unit and expand to engage additional human service partners that are able to provide services during the time of response or conduct proactive outreach to vulnerable communities to mitigate crisis situations.
To learn more about the TEAM and other human services programs delivered by the City, visit Talgov.com/HumanServices.
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This unit has been in use since March 29th (two months). I would like to know a progress report? Also, feedback from the police. Do the officers find it helpful, a hindrance, or a worry as the social work/psych workers may be in danger?
ENOUGH ALREADY! Stop committing crimes, stop resisting arrest, stop using drugs, and stop disrespecting the Police Officer. And stop voting Democrat. There is no such thing as a random police stop….any stop can result in the Police Officer being harmed. So why in the H*&$ are you sending a social worker into a dangerous situation making the Cop responsible for their safety?
Marxism!
I know the City Commissioners were also talking about instead of sending TPD, they would send the TEAM to handle Domestic Disputes Calls………… I hope they rethink that …… They should send 4 Officers to take control of the situation real fast.
https://www.yahoo.com/news/delaware-police-officer-found-unconscious-221705147.html
This smells too much of the social worker replacing the LEO insanity movement of the defund the police mafia. Good luck with that.
All across the nation and in the Capital District, mental health support groups whether church supported, government supported or privately not-for-profit supported have either shut down, instituted useless Zoom meetings or reopened with limited capacity restrictions, antisocial distancing and maskhole mandates. And these miserable mental health social workers and shrinks insist on enforcing this insanity to a group of folks already on the edge. And like public and commercial establishments, they completely ignore where the maskhole mandates allow for mental or health exemptions. Utterly despicable.
Right On Hope! When People of Color Churches, along with teachers and coaches in the grades 1-12 start teaching “do what the police officer says” all the WOKE programs in the world won’t work.
“With continued success, the pilot TEAM program could evolve into a 24/7 response unit” …………. It “COULD” evolve into a 24/7 Unit? Why not NOW? Second: “With Continued Success” They’ve only been responding to calls since March 29, how many calls could they have been on since they are not 24/7? Did ALL of the calls actually need that TPD Officer to be there? How many Officers are already certified to be a part of TEAM and how many are needed?
If RB Holmes and Ben Crump would put their efforts into promoting compliance and respect and having more fathers in the home instead of welfare checks, — it may improve things. But, we have to tiptoe around the exploitation, ignorance, and black privilege mixed in with Woke – to appease – is just playing with fire. Wake up!
Good call Edward honestly it is a solution looking for a problem. Woke folks what ya gonna do with ’em?
A foolish solution to a non-existent problem. I wonder if the City made these social guinea pigs sign a liability waiver. It’s gonna cost taxpayers a pretty penny when one of these Woke Supremest’s goes down due to a “non-violent” turned “quite violent” engagements.
A so called, ‘non violent’ call can become violent before the phone is even ‘hung up’. Need to be prepared…’team’.