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Date: 12/14/2022
WESTFIELD – Police say their partnership with Springfield-based Behavioral Health Network (BHN) has made a strong difference in the handling of mental health calls.
In August 2021, part-time clinician Lisa Tuyrell began working with the department as part of BHN’s Law Enforcement Program. This has since expanded with the addition of clinician Jessica Morris, and the two work full-time and part-time, paid for through BHN.
Westfield Police Capt. Stephan Dickinson said the department has had a relationship with the network for years, having sent officers there for training. He later spoke with BHN about getting the program into Westfield and said it has been of great benefit to the patients and the department. While police have training on mental health issues, it’s not on par with a clinician.
“There’s only so many things that we [police] can do, only so many tools that we have,” Dickinson said.
The clinicians are available to provide mental health services to people the police encounter who would benefit more from counseling than from a court date. Police are often called out to respond to suspicious or erratic activity that doesn’t pose a public safety risk.
Dickinson said that officers only have a few options for these cases – an arrest, placing the person into protective custody, or a Section 12 order, under which they are transported to the hospital for an evaluation by a psychiatrist. According to a copy of the Westfield police log which Dickinson provided, the clinicians respond to calls each day for a variety of incidents. He estimated that since the beginning of the year, BHN’s clinicians have been involved with 566 calls. This includes working with Westfield’s three school resource officers for cases involving students.
Hallie-Beth Hollister is the program manager for emergency services and support at BHN. This is an umbrella for several different efforts, including the one for law enforcement. Hollister said the program came about since BHN often works with police on mental health calls. Along with Westfield, the program is being used in Holyoke, Chicopee and West Springfield.
“There’s not always a need for an ambulance ride to the emergency room,” Hollister said. “Sometimes we can do this in the natural environment and that’s the preference.”
Morris and Tuyrell work at the Westfield Police’s satellite office on Union Street, covering the daytime and evening hours, and monitor dispatches for calls requiring their assistance. Dickinson said the clinicians already have a relationship with many mental health patients and provide more direct and follow-up services. Dickinson cited a case when a patient wasn’t taking prescribed medication, which led to several calls from neighbors. Working with BHN, this person was admitted to a group home in Springfield and is now getting the necessary help.
Clinicians aren’t riding on patrol and don’t carry a weapon, but they are available to respond anywhere in the city during their duty hours.
“They’re dispatched just like a police officer to the location,” Dickinson said.
BHN operates health and social services programs at 40 locations throughout the Pioneer Valley, including residential and outpatient services for individuals with mental illness, substance use disorders and intellectual or developmental disabilities. Hollister said that all clinicians have gone through crisis training, which includes learning techniques of de-escalation. They have master’s degrees and receive on-the-job training through their work with the police.
Hollister said the collaboration with other communities have proven to be successful and the hope is to expand it in the future. Dickinson said a long-term goal is to secure a grant so the city can hire a clinician. As Westfield and Southwick have recently merged their dispatch centers, he said the clinicians will soon begin to take calls in that community, as well.
“There’s a lot to be said for interviewing someone in their home environment,” Hollister said. “It gives us some cues as to their level of functioning, helps them be more comfortable sharing information. It really helps overall to not have someone going to the emergency room.”