BUFFALO, N.Y. (WKBW) — When someone is experiencing a mental health or substance use crisis, the response has often followed a familiar path: a 911 call, a police response and, ultimately, a trip to the emergency room. Leaders in Erie County have been working to improve that response.
The Crisis to Care Collaborative has been working since 2024 to identify better ways to get the right type of care to people when they need it most. The group's latest progress report comes out later this week.
The initiative, which is led and funded by the Patrick P. Lee Foundation, collected data from 10 government, law enforcement and health care organizations to examine how the county responds to behavioral health emergencies. Organizers say dozens of additional groups and community members also participated in the overall process.
The goal has been to improve every step of the response, from how a 911 call is identified, to who responds, to where someone in crisis ultimately receives care.
"We started with the model, and it's called the 'call, respond, go' model," Lisa Chimera, Erie County Deputy County Executive, said. "When you think about a mental health crisis, you think about the stages of the crisis: somebody making the call, who's going to respond to the call and where are they going to go to receive the help that they need."
In 2025, 10,041 people experiencing behavioral health crises ended up at Erie County Medical Center's emergency department. Only about 25% of them were ultimately admitted for inpatient psychiatric treatment.
"People in crisis call 911. Police often respond. And either they're brought to jail or they're brought to the hospital, and those really aren't the places often where they're gonna get the best help that will help them recover," said Jane Mogavero, executive director of the Patrick P. Lee Foundation.
Already, 911 dispatchers are working to better identify behavioral health calls earlier, giving responding officers more information about what they may encounter.
Crisis Services has also worked to expand its staffing so more mobile crisis teams can respond more quickly.
WATCH: Erie County working to transform how mental health emergencies are handled
And there is now another option for people who need immediate help but do not necessarily need hospital care. BestResponse, an intensive crisis stabilization center on Niagara Street in Buffalo, is open 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
"Sometimes it will be the hospital," Mogavero said. "Sometimes it will be that BestResponse. Other times it could just be someone sitting with you [from] Crisis Services in your home and sort of creating a plan.
That approach is designed to move away from a one-size-fits-all response to behavioral health emergencies.
The initiative also has a potential financial impact. Chimera said the county and health care system spend significant resources treating people at ECMC when the emergency department may not be the most appropriate setting for their needs.
"We're paying so much money for somebody to get mental health resources at ECMC when ECMC may not be the place where they really need to go," Chimera said. "The initial investment is going to be cost savings down the road."
Organizers say the early signs are encouraging.
"We have seen really meaningful advancements already," Mogavero said. "That's super exciting."
The Crisis to Care Collaborative's progress report is expected to be released this week at CrisisToCare.org. Community meetings are also planned.
If you or someone you know is experiencing a mental health emergency, call Crisis Services at 716-834-3131 or call/text 988 to reach the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline and connect with local resources.
