NEW YORK — A program aimed at improving the city’s response to mental health emergencies has slid backward since its initial launch, with response times getting slower, more people sent to hospitals and stepped-up police involvement in cases.
The program, the Behavioral Health Emergency Assistance Response Division, or B-HEARD, was aimed at reducing friction in crisis situations by sending trained professionals instead of cops.
But advocates say the unit’s effectiveness has eroded since its launch in 2021, citing longer response times, fewer calls routed to B-HEARD and more people sent to hospitals, according to a Correct Crisis Intervention Today (CCIT-NYC) review of previously released reports.
