AUSTIN, TX – In a significant move to address the growing complexities of mental health crises, the city of Austin has launched a groundbreaking pilot program aimed at transforming its response to severe mental health incidents. The initiative, known as the Austin Field Integrated Response Support Team (AFIRST), represents a novel approach to emergency response, integrating mental health clinicians, police officers, and emergency medical services workers into a unified team. This development is particularly relevant news as cities across Texas and the nation grapple with effective strategies for mental health emergencies.
This top program is designed to respond to high-acuity incidents – situations where individuals with mental health conditions pose a risk to themselves or others. It signifies a departure from traditional response models, where law enforcement often acts as the primary responder, potentially delaying specialized care and escalating situations. The AFIRST team seeks to ensure that mental health professionals are at the forefront of interventions, providing person-centered, trauma-informed care from the outset, when safe to do so.
Background and the Need for Innovation
The impetus for the AFIRST program stems from a recognized gap in how Austin has historically managed mental health crises. Chief Medical Officer Dr. Mark Escott highlighted that current protocols often involve law enforcement securing a scene first, followed by mental health clinicians and EMS, a process that can lead to delays and suboptimal utilization of specialized professionals. This delay can hinder effective de-escalation and connection to timely care.
The statistics underscore the urgency. Between 2022 and 2024, Austin police received over 97,000 mental health-related calls out of nearly 867,500 total emergency calls. While Integral Care, the local mental health authority, handled approximately 16% of these – often without police involvement – officials identified a critical need to improve responses to the most difficult crisis situations, often termed “high-acuity”. These are incidents posing a greater risk of harm to individuals in crisis and those around them.
This initiative also aligns with broader national trends and advocacy efforts pushing for non-police-led responses to mental health emergencies. Advocates have long championed the idea of diverting mental health calls away from law enforcement, recognizing that armed officers may not always be the most appropriate first responders for individuals experiencing psychological distress. The program’s design, with clinicians and paramedics taking the lead in initial contact when safe, directly addresses this long-standing need.
The AFIRST Program: A Multidisciplinary Approach
The AFIRST pilot program is a collaboration involving the Austin Police Department (APD), Austin-Travis County EMS, and Integral Care, the city’s local mental health authority. The core of the program is a multidisciplinary team comprising a mental health clinician, a police officer, and an emergency services worker. This unified team will patrol a designated sector of Austin, primarily covering downtown and East Austin, during specific operational hours: Monday through Thursday, from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m..
Integral Health clinicians are part of the response teams, bringing specialized crisis intervention training. Their role is crucial in de-escalating situations, providing immediate support, and connecting individuals with appropriate community resources and long-term care. This integrated model is seen as a significant step towards ensuring that people experiencing mental health crises receive the most effective and compassionate care possible, potentially reducing unnecessary law enforcement involvement, arrests, and hospitalizations.
Crucially, the AFIRST team will not respond to incidents involving firearms or knives, focusing instead on mental health crises where their specialized skills can be most impactful. The goal is to equip these professionals to handle complex and dynamic situations with person-centered, trauma-informed care, optimizing outcomes for recovery.
Unique, Untested Territory
Dr. Mark Escott has emphasized that this program’s integrated, multidisciplinary approach for high-acuity mental health incidents is novel. “This program that we’re creating has not been done before in the United States,” he stated. While co-responder models exist in various jurisdictions, the AFIRST program’s emphasis on a dedicated, integrated team specifically targeting high-acuity calls, with mental health clinicians and paramedics taking the lead in initial contact, marks it as a pioneering effort.
The program is initially set to run for a six-month pilot period. During this time, public safety agencies will rigorously gather data to evaluate the program’s successes, challenges, and overall effectiveness. The results will then be presented to the Austin City Council, who will decide on whether to continue, adjust, or expand the initiative.
Broader Context and Future Implications
The launch of the AFIRST program in Austin is part of a larger, ongoing conversation and shift in how communities manage mental health emergencies. Previous efforts in Austin have included embedding mental health clinicians within the 911 call center since 2019 to better triage calls and dispatch appropriate resources. Furthermore, the city has expanded mobile crisis outreach teams, with recent funding aimed at enabling 24/7 operations.
These initiatives reflect a growing understanding that traditional law enforcement responses are not always the most suitable for mental health crises. Statistics from various studies indicate that a significant portion of 911 calls do not involve serious crimes and could be handled by civilian health care experts. In Texas, there is a recognized shortage of mental health professionals, with many counties designated as Mental Health Professional Shortage Areas. Initiatives like AFIRST aim to bridge this gap by optimizing the deployment of existing expertise.
The program’s success or challenges will be closely watched, potentially serving as a model for other cities grappling with similar issues. By prioritizing specialized care and multidisciplinary collaboration, Austin is making a bold investment in a more effective and humane approach to mental health crisis response, aiming to improve community safety and provide essential support to those in need. The findings from this pilot will be critical in shaping future public safety strategies in Texas and beyond.
This trending initiative in Austin highlights a growing commitment to innovative solutions in mental health care, aiming to foster better outcomes for individuals in crisis and enhance the overall well-being of the community.
