Coordinating Alternative First Response: Key Lessons and Recommendations from New Orleans
Overview
Across the country, local governments have been investing in alternative first response services, which dispatch trained civilian professionals to answer 911 calls involving behavioral health crises and other health and social concerns. More than 100 alternative first response teams are now operating nationwide, addressing unmet health and social needs with care, equity, and support rather than enforcement.
In June 2023, New Orleans launched a new branch of the city’s emergency response system, the Mobile Crisis Intervention Unit (MCIU)—a citywide, 24/7 mobile response team dispatched through 911, staffed by behavioral health professionals, and designed to offer a rapid, non-police response to people experiencing behavioral health crises. The Vera Institute of Justice partnered with the New Orleans Health Department and service provider Resources for Human Development to support MCIU through its first year. This report provides critical lessons from New Orleans for building infrastructure to launch and sustain successful alternative first response and recommendations for local leaders who wish to implement alternative first response in their own communities.
Key Takeaway
To build the infrastructure to launch and sustain alternative first response, local leaders should focus on cultivating strong interagency coordination, strengthening data infrastructure and practices to support successful operations and transparency, and raising public awareness about alternative first response services and prioritizing meaningful community engagement.
Publication Highlights
MCIU found that strong interagency relationships are critical for securing buy-in for alternative first response among agency leaders, including police, emergency medical services, and fire departments.
Community access to detailed data about mental health–related 911 calls in New Orleans enabled a shared understanding of the need for a citywide, 24/7 alternative first response service.
The perspectives and recommendations of community members with lived experience of behavioral health crises and responses are essential for planning and ongoing operations to ensure that alternative first response meets people’s needs.