Revolutionizing Mental Health Response: How Tulsa Plans to Deploy Solo Mental Health Workers for Enhanced Service Calls

Tulsa is making a groundbreaking move by sending mental health workers to emergency calls instead of police officers. This change is part of a new system being developed by Community Outreach Psychiatric Emergency Services (COPES) that aims to address mental health crises with the appropriate professionals.

Amanda Bradley, the Vice President of COPES, mentioned that this new response model is set to launch in February. “We will ensure that our mental health response team is sent out when needed, rather than relying on law enforcement,” she said.

Similar programs have already seen success in cities like Denver and Harris County, Texas. Bradley believes this shift will greatly improve how Tulsa supports individuals facing mental health challenges, substance abuse issues, or homelessness. “This change could be transformative for our community,” she explained.

As of now, Tulsa has three modes of responding to calls outside the traditional police approach:

• Alternative Response Team: a collaboration between COPES and Tulsa fire paramedics.
• Integrated Response Team: a COPES worker responds to a police call upon request.
• Community Response Team: a COPES worker rides alongside police and fire paramedics.

The new model will introduce a fourth option: a mental health professional from COPES responding directly to calls dispatched without police involvement.

Captain Shellie Seibert from Tulsa police emphasized that this change will help them better allocate resources. “We’ll have fewer mental health calls for police to handle, allowing officers to focus on other urgent matters,” she said.

The new COPES teams will also include outreach workers dedicated to assisting homeless individuals, connecting them with essential services.

Zack Stoycoff, Director of the Healthy Minds Policy Initiative, pointed out the importance of having law enforcement available but also voiced a desire to avoid putting officers in situations where they must act as mental health professionals. “We need to improve how dispatch determines the level of response needed,” he said.

Stoycoff emphasized the need for ongoing evaluation to ensure that the right response is dispatched. “Once we can better assess whether someone needs mental health assistance, we will see real improvements,” he noted.

Tulsa’s progressive approach comes as Oklahoma City faces scrutiny from the federal government for its handling of mental health cases, where too many individuals are being incarcerated rather than receiving care.

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