The True Impact of Adding 1 More Social Worker

Today’s Brief:

• Co-Responder Briefs

• Minneapolis 911 Center Launches Pilot Embedding a Social Worker to Boost Crisis Response

• Pleasant Prairie Police Embed Social Worker to Tackle Mental-Health Emergencies

• Social Media Briefs

  Total Read Time: 4 minutes

👮 Co-Responder Briefs

Gainesville’s Co-Responder Team Offers Mental Health Help Instead of Jail in Crisis Calls

In Gainesville, Florida, the Gainesville Police Department has partnered with Meridian Healthcare to deploy a co-responder program pairing a police officer and a mental-health clinician who respond together to crisis calls. The team is on call ~40 hours a week and focuses on assessing care options (like diagnosis, medication, stabilization) in lieu of arrests or involuntary commitments.

Lycoming County’s Mental Health Co-Responder Garners Statewide Award for Crisis Intervention Work

In Pennsylvania, Darryl Andreas, a mental-health co-responder with the Lycoming Regional Police Department, was honored as the Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency’s “CIT Behavioral Health Practitioner of the Year” for his collaborative work with officers and community partners. His efforts are credited with reducing unnecessary detentions and hospitalizations while improving linkages to behavioral-health services in his region.

Walton County Pilot Co-Responder Program Cuts ER Transports and Strengthens Hospital-Law-Enforcement Referrals

In Walton County, Georgia, the Walton Justice Mental Health Task Force reported on a pilot program that pairs law-enforcement agencies (including the Monroe Police Department) with a co-responder model and a hospital referral partnership via Piedmont Walton Hospital. The pilot has reportedly cut behavioral-health related emergency-department admissions for law-enforcement encounters by more than half, and introduced a resource tool branded “Empowering You” for direct community referral.

🧠 Minneapolis 911 Center Launches Pilot Embedding a Social Worker to Boost Crisis Response

In a new pilot program, Minneapolis Emergency Communications Center (MECC) has added a social worker to its dispatch team to better serve callers experiencing mental-health crises, homelessness, or help-navigation issues. Stationed in the heart of the call center, the social worker listens live alongside dispatchers, identifies callers who may benefit from a non-police response, and proactively readies resource options.

Since the launch, the pilot role has handled around 30 calls in just its first two weeks, highlighting demand for a different kind of first responder. MECC leadership says the initiative not only offers more tailored support to vulnerable callers but also frees up traditional dispatchers and police officers to focus on higher-priority emergencies. The program, funded by the city in partnership with Hennepin County Behavioral Health & Human Services, is under review for potential expansion — aiming toward a full 24/7 social-worker dispatch model if successful.

🧠 Pleasant Prairie Police Embed Social Worker to Tackle Mental-Health Emergencies

The Pleasant Prairie Police Department in Wisconsin is adding its first full-time embedded social worker, funded via a state grant in partnership with Kenosha County Behavioral Health Services, to respond alongside officers on mental-health crises. This new role will join on-scene calls, conduct follow-up care, and provide training for officers in suicide prevention and crisis intervention. Officials say the initiative helps shift the perception of mental-health calls away from crime and toward health-centered responses. The addition comes amid concerning local statistics: suicide deaths in Pleasant Prairie have risen 67 % in five years, and over half of the county’s recent suicides involved firearms. Chief David Smetana says the goal is to streamline the process so families facing a crisis can access the right help faster and not feel alone