Clinician-led mental health response team expands in Indianapolis

A team of clinicians in Indianapolis who respond to mental health and substance abuse-related crises now covers roughly 63% of the city.

City officials announced earlier this week it is expanding the team to cover the Southern District.

The clinician-led response team started in 2023 and sends mental health professionals instead of police officers to respond to both mental health and substance abuse issues. It's now made up of 28 members.

Andrea Brown is the executive director of the Clinician-Led Community Response team. She said the team has helped de-escalate interactions with community members.

"We're able to assist with people who do not necessarily need to be entangled with law enforcement because they are having a mental health crisis as well as not flooding our emergency rooms at our hospitals," Brown said.

The team has taken roughly 2,000 calls from the community since 2023. The program initially only covered the city's downtown, but has since expanded to cover the north and east sides.

Brown said their goal is to expand coverage to the entire city.

When residents call 9-1-1 a dispatcher asks them a series of questions, including whether they are in need of support from police, EMS, or mental health services.

Brown said the team responds to crises where weapons are not involved or people aren't actively overdosing.

"This is important because it gives compassionate and immediate service to our neighbors who are experiencing mental health crises," she said.

Community members for years called for a response team to mental health crises that did not include police. Those calls intensified after the death of Herman Whitfield III in 2022.

Contact Health Reporter Benjamin Thorp at bthorp@wfyi.org