Embedding behavioral health workers into 911 call centers in a Texas community prevented hundreds of emergency detentions and arrests over five years, according to a study published today in Psychiatric Services.Why It’s Relevant
Communities across the country are exploring ways to integrate behavioral health specialists into the 911 process—both to improve outcomes for individuals who are experiencing a mental health crisis and to better allocate scarce public safety resources.
Evaluations of such diversion programs have mainly focused on those that provide direct support to the officers on scene. Less data is available on programs that provide upstream support. One such program in Austin and Travis County, Texas, embedded behavioral health clinicians trained in deescalation and safety planning into a 911 call center.
By the Numbers
- Between December 2019 and February 2025, operators at the Texas call center transferred 16,264 calls that involved behavioral health crises without criminal or violent components to clinicians, while 4,365 similarly eligible calls were not transferred due to clinician unavailability.
- Calls transferred to clinicians resulted in fewer emergency detentions (2.4%) and less time spent on the scene by officers (26 minutes) compared with calls that were not directly transferred to a clinician (4.8% and 51 minutes, respectively).
- After adjusting for call timing and location, calls that were directly transferred to clinicians were 43% less likely to result in emergency detentions and 35% less likely to result in arrests.
- Over five years, approximately 7,000 hours of officer time were averted from the scene of behavioral health-related incidents.
The Other Side
While the control calls were considered clinician-eligible, the researchers couldn’t confirm similarity between the two groups due to lack of data on the type of problems reported in the clinician-diverted calls. There were also no race/ethnicity breakdowns available.
Takeaway Message
The researchers emphasized how much time the program saved officers from responding to nonviolent, noncriminal incidents related to behavioral health, thereby allowing them to focus on higher-acuity public safety issues. Highlighting the benefits experienced across systems—such as by law enforcement officers—might help secure long-term funding for similar behavioral health programs, which are typically underfunded.
Related Information
Source
Todd A. Olmstead, et al. The impact of embedding behavioral health professionals in a 911 call center. Psychiatric Services. Published online April 22, 2026. doi: 10.1176/appi.ps.20250322.
(Image: Getty Images/iStock/Jacob Wackerhausen)
