Some people called 911 after a loved one overdosed. Others are struggling with anxiety, depression or post-traumatic stress disorder. Still others wanted help convincing their teenagers to go to school.
No matter the circumstances, the Bloomington Police Department has a new goal: to get them a therapy appointment within one to two days of their call.
“I don’t know of another agency in the country that is doing this,” Police Chief Booker Hodges said.
After George Floyd’s murder in 2020 provoked an international debate on policing, some departments boosted their efforts to partner with social workers. Other cities, such as Minneapolis, contracted with community organizations to send mental health experts to some 911 calls.
The Bloomington Police Department hired two licensed marriage and family therapists to meet with people for free in their homes, at the local government center or virtually in telehealth appointments. It’s since brought on two interns from St. Mary’s University of Minnesota to help boost the division and supply students with the clinical hours they need to graduate. The therapists work to help stabilize people in crisis, with the goal of getting them into long-term therapy, if it’s needed.
“Once somebody is in crisis, we have to strike while the iron is hot to get them to engage in services,” said Luke Campbell, the therapist who oversees Bloomington Community Brain Health Services.
But doing that was often simpler said than done. The city estimates that 4,200 residents are uninsured, and even people who are insured often told police they faced wait times of eight to 10 weeks to see a therapist.
In the first seven months of the pilot program, the therapists received 44 referrals from police officers, the social workers who already partner with officers, or local schools. The program is meant to be a short-term solution that helps people until they can get into longer-term treatment.