INDIANAPOLIS – Today, Mayor Joe Hogsett joined Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department (IMPD) Chief Chris Bailey, Indianapolis Fire Department (IFD) Chief Ernest Malone and Indianapolis Emergency Medical Services (IEMS) Chief Dr. Dan O’Donnell to launch a unified response initiative to better serve the entire Indianapolis community as well as the responding personnel during mental health crises. This 24/7 collaborative effort reflects a shared commitment to addressing the complexities of mental health calls with compassion, efficiency, and resources.
“This partnership between so many City agencies and departments is emblematic of how we like to do things here in Indianapolis,” said Mayor Joe Hogsett. “By working together, this new unified mental health response initiative will ensure that we are able to get our neighbors the help they need, when they need it. Today’s announcement is simply the next logical step in our broader efforts to address the mental health needs of our community.”
This unified response is activated when Mobile Crisis Assistance Teams (MCAT) or the ClinicianLed Community Response (CLCR) teams are not available. The unified mental health response is a joint response to mental health calls to enhance coordination among IMPD, IFD, and IEMS personnel. It focuses on understanding the situation and whether there are any active safety concerns, while determining the needs of the individual in crisis. It then allows one agency to take the lead for appropriate care.
“Providing the best care for our community requires a team effort," said Chief Chris Bailey. "By partnering with MESA, IFD and IEMS, we can effectively address challenging calls and determine the most appropriate response. Every situation is unique, and I'm grateful for this collaborative approach,” he added.
Under the Unified Mental Health Response:
• Metropolitan Emergency Services Agency (MESA)
o Dispatches calls for service
o Engages with the caller to better understand the situation
▪ Does the caller know about prior diagnoses, current medication and weapons known?
o Communicates known info to IMPD, IFD and IEMS including other safety concerns o Monitors radio traffic for changing conditions
• IEMS and/or IFD o Assesses medical needs of patient
o Provides immediate medical needs
o Determines appropriate hospital destination (excluding arrestees) if required
o Provides patient extraction to an ambulance as needed
• IMPD
o Determines the need for arrest or Emergency Detention
o Ensures scene safety and security.
If there is an active threat or weapons known at the scene, IMPD officers will address the incident first while IEMS/IFD stages nearby. If there is no credible threat, IMPD will stand by and allow medics and other first responders to provide appropriate care.
"This initiative is an important reminder for us as agencies, that complexities within these incidents, requires a dedicated lane of unified training to bring about a successful resolution for patients experiencing a mental health crisis. While IFD, IMPD and IEMS already train together, for other types of incidents, the challenges we face involving mental health crises, can potentially have dangerous outcomes for responders, family members or the patient themselves. We are very pleased to be part of this proactive response model providing help, hope and resources to those who need them,” said IFD Chief Ernest Malone.
“Dispatched runs involving patients experiencing a mental health crisis can create unique challenges for all first responders,” said Dan O’Donnell, M.D., Chief of Indianapolis EMS. “It’s during these situations that we must remember our training to help achieve a successful outcome. We support a unified training for all our partners to ensure that the appropriate resources are available and deployed to better ensure safety for all those involved.”
Following a call, the individual or family members will be connected with local resources such MCAT or CLCR team.
This unified response represents a significant step forward in the city's efforts to address mental health issues holistically and proactively. Through training, collaboration, and shared expertise, first responders are equipped to provide safer, more effective care during some of the toughest times for Indianapolis residents.
All agencies have started the joint training and the unified response is expected to launch later this month.
If you or someone you know is experiencing a mental health crisis and there is not an immediate threat, you can call or text 988 in Indiana at any time.
