Why LA is pulling the plug on a 911 pilot that sent mental health workers to some calls

Two years after Los Angeles launched a pilot program that sent treatment teams from fire stations to mental health calls, the city-county partnership is ending.

City authorities have cited low patient numbers and ongoing staffing difficulties as reasons for the layoff. County officials have said they will continue the program without the city.

The Therapeutic Van Pilot Program was hailed as an innovative approach that would allow mental health workers to be incorporated into the 911 system, thereby reducing reliance on law enforcement.

When it was announced in 2020then LA Police Chief Michel Moore praised the program.

“Instead of asking another program from the LAPD, or the LAFD, to get involved, it’s taking things off our plate and putting them with our mental health professionals,” Moore said at the time.

It was almost another two years before the program was up and running.

Why does it matter?

Mental health advocates, legislators and law enforcement have all pushed to remove police as much as possible from psychiatric crisis calls. Tense situations can sometimes turn violent when law enforcement is involved.

A recent LAist investigation found that between 2017 and 2023, 31% of LA police shootings involved a person perceived by officers to be living with a mental illness or experiencing a mental health crisis, according to annual use-of-force reports.

How the program worked

Five specially equipped vans were dispatched from five fire stations across the city. Each team consisted of a driver, a licensed psychiatric technician, and someone who has personal experience with mental illness.

The goal was to dispatch Therapeutic Transport teams to non-violent 911 calls involving a psychiatric crisis, without relying on law enforcement. The fleet of vans also allowed the patient to be transported without a paramedic team, freeing fire authorities for other calls.

What happened?

LA Fire Department officials recommended shutting down the pilot at the end of fiscal year 23/24, citing the low average number of patients transported per day and the inability of the Department of Mental Health to fully staff the program.

According to the LA County Department of Mental Health, less than a third of the nearly 6,000 calls the teams handled since March 2022 met the criteria for further evaluation by a psychiatrist.

What is expected next?

Authorities from the county Department of Mental Health said they will work to continue the program without the fire department’s partnership.

County Supervisor Hilda Solis said this week that she is disappointed by the city’s decision to cut the funding.

“You can be sure that I will continue to work to ensure that DMH’s resources are put right [the Therapeutic Transportation Program] will be distributed to other mobile teams and alternative crisis response teams to ensure our most vulnerable citizens receive the appropriate mental health care they need.”