DALLAS (WBAP/KLIF) – First responders in Dallas are changing the way they treat mental health patients in a portion of the city.
The Dallas Police and Fire-Rescue Departments are partnering with the Meadows Mental Health Policy Institute and Parkland Health & Hospital System to launch a new response program for behavioral health-related 911 calls. The Rapid Integrated Group Healthcare Team, RIGHT Care, is expected to provide the citizens of Dallas with a comprehensive approach to emergency mental health response. Partnering specially trained paramedics, police officers and Parkland social workers, teams will be dispatched to behavioral health calls in South Central Dallas. Authorities hope that the effects of this team will be seen across Dallas, by freeing up other police and fire personnel to respond to more calls.
“We believe this program will enhance EMS service delivery overall as ambulance units will be more available to respond to other high priority EMS calls in a timely fashion,” said Marshal Isaacs, MD, Medical Director, BioTel/EMS System, Dallas Fire-Rescue, attending emergency physician at Parkland and Professor of Emergency Medicine at UT Southwestern Medical Center.
Authorities say it’s possible that the program could eventually be implemented in other parts of the city.
“This partnership exemplifies the service first mission of the Dallas Police Department and the City of Dallas,” said Dallas Police Department Chief, U. Renee Hall. “With police, fire, and hospital personnel working together on the RIGHT Care program, we can provide the best service to our community.
The program will also call for a Parkland mental health clinician to be in the 911 call center to serve as a liaison to police officers across the City. City officials say Dallas is the first city in the country to house a mental health clinician in the 911 call center.
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