San Francisco expands civilian response to mental health 911 calls

San Francisco is expanding a new program to the Bayview neighborhood that aims to be an alternative to policing by having a team of behavioral health professionals and paramedics respond to certain 911 calls, the San Francisco Examiner reported April 5. The Street Crisis Response Team will respond to nonviolent reports of people in mental health crisis in the Bayview every day of the week beginning April 5 from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m., according to Mayor London Breed's office. The Bayview team is the third to be deployed in San Francisco. Officials first launched a team in the Tenderloin last November, followed by a second team serving the Mission and Castro in February. Each team includes a paramedic from the Fire Department, a behavioral health clinician with the nonprofit HealthRight 360 and a peer specialist with Richmond Area Multi‐Services, a nonprofit mental health agency. Staff also includes people to coordinate care for those encountered on the street. While officials are praising the expansion, the rollout falls short of the goals Breed laid out last November when she announced San Francisco would have at least six teams available 24/7 across the city by the end of March. “The process of hiring behavioral health clinicians is a challenge in normal times, but it has been especially difficult during the pandemic because of the demands that COVID‐19 has placed on the public health system,” Breed's spokesperson Andy Lynch said. “Additionally, the city is looking for clinicians with experience handling these types of interactions.” Lynch said Breed is still committed to establishing all six teams for 24‐hour‐a‐day coverage and “are optimistic we can do this by the end of summer 2021.”