In response to the Westchester County Police Reform & Reimagining Task Force report to the governor, the county is announcing Project Alliance. Project
Alliance represents a fiveprong approach developed by Westchester County Executive George Latimer with the Department of Community Mental Health, Department of Public Safety, Department of Emergency Services and Department of Social Services to address the needs of Westchester County residents with behavioral health challenges.
The five prongs:
• 911 Dispatch Diversion Training
• Enhanced training for EMT responding to behavioral health issues
• Enhancement of countywide Behavioral Health Crisis Response Line
• Crisis Intervention Team trainings
• Mobile Crisis Response Teams (MCRT)
“For nearly 20 years, the Department of Community Mental Health has partnered with law enforcement around Westchester to help address behavioral health
emergencies when they arise, Department of Community Mental Health Commissioner Michael Orth said. “Through Project Alliance, our community members, law enforcement personnel and service providers will become safer and better connected.” Department of Emergency Services Commissioner Richard Wishnie added, “From the start this has been a collaborative effort and the results will be a better
outcome for those who suffer from mental health issues.”
911 Dispatch Diversion Training
Westchester County will provide training to all law enforcement agencies on 911 Diversion. This training is based on a model developed in Broome County/
Binghamton and creates a fourth option for emergency response, adding Behavioral Health to the existing police, fire and medical responses. This ongoing training is offered in two phases: (1) Offered to county dispatchers and (2) available to all law enforcement agencies in the county. There is no charge for the
training.
Enhanced Training for EMT on responding to behavioral health issues
To enhance and expand training for EMTs and paramedics in responding to a mental health crisis, Wishnie and Orth developed a specialized crisis training
to members of the EMS community. This training module will be ready for implementation late fall.
Enhancement of countywide Behavioral Health Crisis Response Line
The county has collaborated with St. Vincent’s Hospital to expand the existing Crisis Prevention and Response services to include support for 911-Diversion
Behavioral Health Crisis phone services and to support the newly created National 988 Suicide Prevention Line. Service would be 24/7 for residents
experiencing behavioral health crisis, concerned family members, other providers and law enforcement/911 dispatchers. Full implementation of the response
line will occur by early 2022. It is believed that many of the crisis calls diverted to the crisis line will be successfully resolved without having to mobilize any resources to the scene.
Crisis Intervention Team(CIT) trainings
Westchester County has provided CIT training to law enforcement agencies in Westchester and neighboring departments for many years. Under Project
Alliance, this police-based crisis intervention training will prepare more officers and other first responders to manage crises involving people with mental illness effectively. The training also improves their understanding and accessibility of the public mental health system, while promoting officer safety and the
safety of the individual in crisis. Training is available to recruits and seasoned officers with a more in-depth in-service training, as well as being expanded
to EMS and 911 dispatchers.
Mobile Crisis Response Teams (MCRT)
An innovative partnership between the mental health system and law enforcement in responding to the needs of residents experiencing mental health crisis.
MCRTs consists of staff who have substantial training and experience in addressing mental health and substance use systems. Their primary role of MCRTs is to support law enforcement in addressing mental health crisis by rapid engagement, assessment of needs, and providing short-term support and linkage to necessary services. The goal is to establish eight teams throughout Westchester County. There will be three teams established in 2021 and five teams in 2022. Each team will serve a defined catchment area, providing 24/7 crisis response, ultimately providing this service across all of Westchester.
• Three teams in 2021: Mount Kisco, Port Chester and New Rochelle
• Five teams in 2022: Ossining, Peekskill, White Plains/Greenburgh, Mount Vernon and Yonkers
