Cleveland’s “Connect and Protect” Initiative: Enhancing Emergency Response to Mental Health Crises by Incorporating Clinicians into the Dispatch Center

Cleveland is making a significant move to enhance its emergency response to mental health crises by incorporating mental health clinicians into its dispatch center. The ultimate goal is to identify mental health crisis calls more accurately and provide the necessary support. By adding these clinicians, there may be a reduction in the number of police responses required for mental health crises and an improvement in connecting callers with the resources they require.

Thanks to a nearly $550,000 federal grant, the initiative has received additional funding of over $800,000 through contributions from the Cleveland Foundation and matching funds from the city. The program, known as “Connect and Protect,” will be implemented over three years, with a planning phase in year one and two clinicians added in year two and three in year three.

The clinicians at the dispatch center will have the ability to de-escalate situations over the phone, potentially preventing unnecessary police responses to low-level mental health crisis calls. They will also provide callers with mental health resources and assist dispatchers in identifying the most appropriate response for each crisis call. Additionally, the grant will fund training for all dispatchers on how to handle these types of situations more effectively.

As Cleveland finalizes its plans for this new program, it is currently considering salaries for clinician dispatchers. This initiative is an important step towards improving Cleveland’s response to mental health crises and ensuring that callers receive the necessary support and resources they need.