Erie County is rolling out a countywide effort called the Crisis to Care Collaborative to improve how behavioral health emergencies are handled, a move that could affect thousands of Buffalo residents who rely on emergency services.
The initiative brings together 34 partners from public safety, behavioral health, health care, government and advocacy groups, including people with lived experience, to create a more coordinated and compassionate crisis response system, according to WKBW.
“Right now, our system really defaults to nine one one police response and then hospitals or jail. And that’s just not what people need when they’re in crisis, and it’s not going to help them get to recovery,” said Jane Mogavero, executive director of the Patrick P. Lee Foundation.
Commissioner Erika Shields of the Buffalo Police Department praised the collaboration, noting that it has helped bring “all of these different entities, all of us who have a role in mental health, to the table.” She added that the group has made progress by relying on data.
One of the three focus areas—someone to call, someone to respond, and somewhere to go—targets how 911 calls involving mental‑health concerns are identified and routed. Erie County Central Police Services Commissioner Brian Ross explained that dispatchers often receive calls classified as “unknown trouble” or “person with a knife,” which may actually be a mental‑health crisis. “We don’t want to get that call. So trying to bridge that gap and kind of properly code the call to reflect the mental health crisis that’s occurring as well, even if it’s happening,” Ross said.
The collaborative has set 10 specific objectives with measurable targets, including increasing the number of calls that receive a behavioral‑health response when possible and reducing the number of people taken to hospitals during a crisis. Partners plan to reconvene in early 2027 to evaluate progress toward those goals.
Family outreach is also a priority. Shields urged community members to learn about the organizations and services available, emphasizing that families do not have to navigate crises alone.
What’s next: The Crisis to Care partners will meet again in early 2027 to assess whether they have met their objectives and to adjust the plan as needed. In the meantime, Erie County is expanding mobile behavioral‑health teams and working to improve call‑coding procedures so that residents receive the appropriate care more quickly.
Sources: wkbw.com
