Today’s Solutions: November 07, 2024

Back in February, Los Angeles piloted a program which diverts mental crisis 911 calls from police departments to certified mental health providers. The concept was implemented on a trial, eight-hour a day basis, but after overwhelmingly positive results, the city is expanding the service to a permanent 24-hour program.

The initiative is the first attempt by the city to divert mental health situations, such as suicide calls, away from armed officers. The program is a collaboration with Didi Hirsch Mental Health Services, which operates the crisis line, and since February, 424 calls have been diverted from the 911 line. 51 callers were contacted with necessary follow up services.

911 operators report that many ‘after-hours’ calls were not rerouted to the mental health line because of the limited operational hours, but officials are confident that the expanded hours will benefit even more residents experiencing suicidal thoughts or emotional distress.

Solutions News Source Print this article
More of Today's Solutions

Changemakers of the week: Lowlander Center and Ridwell

BY THE OPTIMIST DAILY EDITORIAL TEAM Every day on the Optimist Daily, we report on solutions from around the world. Though we love solutions ...

Read More

Native American Heritage Month and how to be an ally this Thanksgiving

BY THE OPTIMIST DAILY EDITORIAL TEAM Native American Heritage Month begins in November, a month when many Americans celebrate Thanksgiving. While this cultural month ...

Read More

$1 billion to be invested in cleaning up Great Lakes

The US Great Lakes are treasured and iconic wonders of North America's natural splendor. Countless families and individuals flock there for fun and thousands ...

Read More

Youth activists in Vanuatu score a major climate win

BY SIRI CHILUKURI, Grist This story was originally published by Grist. Subscribe to its weekly newsletter here. Young environmental activists from a small South Pacific island ...

Read More