A Pittsburgh public safety program that dispatched social workers alongside police to assist with mental health emergencies is undergoing a major overhaul — one which will end the practice of having mental-health workers accompany police on calls, but instead dispatch those workers to the scene separately.
“The previous model required a dedicated police officer and mental-health clinician to respond together to every behavioral health-related call,” said MSW alumna Katelyn Zeak, manager of social work with the Office of Community Health and Safety. “Factors such as officers having mandatory training, paid time off, or requests by their chain of command meant that the unit would sometimes be unavailable.” Read more on the WESA website