3
Justice
AND Health
2024
HIGHLIGHTS & ACCOMPLISHMENTS
When someone is in crisis, every second matters. This year, the Meadows Institute advanced reforms to ensure that from the moment a person reaches out for help until the moment they arrive at a safe place for treatment, they receive the right level of care from a trained professional.
Our approach keeps people experiencing behavioral health emergencies from making unnecessary trips to emergency departments or being arrested, while supporting the mental health of the courageous law enforcement officers who protect and serve our communities.
Redesigning Crisis Care
A Safe Place to Go: The Meadows Institute ensured more Texans with urgent mental health or substance use needs could avoid unnecessary hospitalizations or arrests and receive longer-term specialized care to support their recovery.
- A Place for Care in Tarrant County
We helped Tarrant County plan and build a world-class psychiatric emergency center, tripling the region’s inpatient capacity for anyone experiencing a behavioral health crisis.
- A Health-Focused Response: Not every 911 call requires a police response. We trained specialized teams of first responders including paramedics, licensed mental health professionals, and law enforcement professionals to de-escalate situations, assess immediate needs, and connect people to appropriate care while ensuring public safety. When mental health crises are met with compassion, outcomes improve for individuals and communities.
“We want officers to see someone when they need someone, and we know they’re doing that now through the Blue Chip Program.”
— B.J. Wagner, senior vice president of health and public safety
20% of the nearly 20 million calls Texas 911 call centers receive each year are related to mental health, but 95% are not identified accurately.
The Meadows Institute was invited by the Marron Institute of Urban Management at NYU to join the Behavioral Health Emergency Response Initiative (BHERi) to design a crisis response model that can be replicated across the country to provide millions of people experiencing a mental health crisis with an effective, dignified response.
- Bringing Health-Focused Crisis Response to Rural Texas: Building on our work expanding the multidisciplinary response team (MDRT) model, we recently partnered with community organizations in Wichita Falls to secure philanthropic and state funding and launch the Crisis Aid Response Team (CART) to improve their 911 responses to mental health crises.
- Answering the Call for Help: Sometimes what’s needed most in a crisis is a calm response and a clear plan for care. The Meadows Institute trained 911 call dispatchers to accurately recognize behavioral health emergencies and embedded clinicians within call centers to resolve some crises over the phone.
Dallas:
35.7% fewer emergency detentions 61% reduction in use of force 20% drop in mental health-related ER visitsAustin:
45.5% decrease in arrest rates
41.2% reduction use of force
Galveston:
Specially trained 911 call takers identified mental health needs 10x more often than callers themselves Behavioral health crisis calls eliminated the use of force entirely.
1 , 500
The number of physical and digital blue poker chips anonymously redeemed by police officers this year to receive free mental health services.
500
The number of in-person or telehealth counseling sessions officers attended with experienced mental health professionals.
Supporting Law Enforcement Heroes
Police officers navigate high-pressure situations that take a significant emotional and mental toll. They deserve the same level of care they provide to the communities they serve.
The Meadows Institute’s Texas Blue Chip Program offers confidential, no-cost mental health services to law enforcement and first responders, ensuring that every officer has access to peer support and professional counseling. By partnering with the Texas Law Enforcement Peer Network to expand the regional program statewide, we positioned Texas as the only state in the nation to offer every member of law enforcement the mental health services they need.
Policy Update
Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX) recognized the Meadows Institute on the floor of the U.S. Senate for our work in securing the passage of legislation ensuring that community law enforcement training programs meet evidence-based standards. We then led implementation efforts in communities across Texas, ensuring federal resources go toward high-impact programs that equip law enforcement to safely navigate mental health crises with skill and empathy.