Mental health clinician to support police response to crisis calls

Harvard police can now call on the assistance of a mental health professional 24/7 through the counseling organization Advocates, based in Framingham. Advocates’ clinicians can provide on-scene crisis evaluations and follow-up support and referrals in cases related to mental health, substance abuse, and domestic abuse.

On Feb. 1 clinician Taylor Hayden began working part time with Harvard and Stow police. She also collaborates full time with departments in Sudbury and Hudson. In the near future, Harvard and Stow expect to share their own full-time clinician who will work two days a week in each town, with the fifth day for follow-up on cases where additional help is needed.

By law, police records dealing with cases involving mental health and domestic abuse remain confidential. But in Hayden’s first week in Harvard, police say, she was able to confer with four families in need of referrals or other assistance. Because of Hayden’s work, Detective Daniele Fortunato said, “These families weren’t left feeling that their questions were out there not being answered.”

Advocates began its co-response collaboration with the Framingham Police Department in 2003. Since then the program has been expanded to more than a dozen other towns in Worcester, Middlesex, Norfolk, and Bristol counties. The Advocates website says onsite clinicians can provide rapid assessment and de-escalation, resulting in a marked reduction in arrests.