The Other First Responder: Mental Health in Partnership with Police

In a recent article on our Catalyst Substack, titled. “A Growing Trend in Modern Policing: First-Responders in Mental Health Emergencies,” we examined how police officers have increasingly become the default first responders to behavioral health crises, and how law enforcement is partnering with mental health providers to more effectively respond. That article focused primarily on the law enforcement perspective and was informed by a podcast we did with Edwardsville, Illinois, Police Chief Michael Fillback, and how his department is transforming responses to behavioral health emergencies via its partnership with Chestnut Health Systems. This podcast shifts the lens to the mental health provider’s viewpoint, thanks to our guests, Julie Brugger,  Director of Access & Crisis Services at Chestnut Health Systems, and Kara Wardein, a Recovery Specialist also with Chestnut. We discuss: How law enforcement and mental health professionals are collaborating in real-time during crises – how the relationships are structured, the respective roles are defined, and the cultures are aligned.The benefits of ride-alongs: building trust, reducing stigma, and improving outcomes.The state of crisis response laws like Illinois’s Community Emergency Supports and Services Act (CESA), and how they pave the way for 24/7 mental health support.Why most calls to 911 involve behavioral health issues, and how expanding crisis teams can free up police bandwidth.The challenges of bridging two very different cultures—policing and mental health—and how trust and familiarity are closing the gap.While it’s not currently a pervasive model, why it will be more broadly adopted in the years to come. The one thing they’d change to improve these partnerships. Embracing these models creates a future where mental health crises are managed with compassion, expertise, and collaboration. It’s a conversation – and topic – that ought to start a broader conversation among policymakers, law enforcement officials, mental health advocates, and community leaders eager to pave the way for a more empathetic, efficient, and effective crisis response system.  This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit thecatalyst2.substack.com