PHOENIX — A Phoenix program designed to help people in behavioral health crises is seeing a sharp increase in calls, reflecting the growing need of our community.
The Community Assistance Program (CAP) has been in place with the city to help people in crisis or in need of behavioral health help. According to new data from the program, which is under the Phoenix Fire Department, the volume of calls has skyrocketed.
The program saw a 136% increase in call volume during the first 11 months of 2024 compared to the same time frame in 2023, according to data presented in the City of Phoenix Public Safety and Justice committee meeting.
Program Director DC Ernst says several factors contribute to that increase.
“We've seen an increase as we've increased the number of behavioral health teams, but also as we've gone city-wide,” Ernst said.
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More calls from Phoenix police dispatchers are being transferred to behavioral health dispatchers under CAP. The new report says calls transferred from police communications to behavioral health dispatchers increased by 172% in the first 11 months of 2024 compared to the same time frame the year prior.
“In the past few years, we’ve developed protocols to come straight from the police departments' communication to a BHU dispatcher, which is one of our supervisors. That can be in lieu of sending our police department, which is ultimately our goal,” Ernst said.
The Phoenix Police Department has been scrutinized over the years for how it handles certain calls. The Department of Justice released its findings in its investigation into the department in 2024.
One of their findings was that the police department and city “discriminate against people with behavioral health disabilities when dispatching calls for assistance and responding to people in crisis.” However, it also recognized the investment into programs for behavioral health-related calls, giving them to more “appropriate responders.”
Crisis peer support specialists go out to calls with police when needed. While the City of Phoenix has its own employees under the program, it also partners with organizations like Terros Health to help patients they meet out on the streets.
“Being able to provide some more community stabilization to help reduce higher level of care and support or having to transport to a hospital or preventing from trespassing, being arrested and helping individuals start their first step toward their behavioral health journey,” explained Jennifer Jewarges, the senior director of crisis services of Terros Health.
Brittany Sullivan has been with Terros Health for more than two years, working as a crisis response peer support specialist. Having lived through her own experience of substance abuse, homelessness and other obstacles she’s faced in life, she feels equipped to help others who could be going through what she did.
“When we go to people, if they’re not ready, we try to offer them what we can to make sure they’re safe until they are. Whether that’s Narcan, a phone number... They know we’re there when they’re ready, they can call us,” Sullivan said.
After the DOJ report was released, city leaders called on the program to have behavioral health dispatchers available 24/7 by the end of March, which Ernst said they are on track to accomplish.
