WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. (WGHP) — If you call 911 for a mental health-related emergency in Winston-Salem, a different first responder could show up at your front door.

They’re called the BEAR Team or Behavioral Evaluation and Response.

City leaders and community members have spent the last year giving input and collecting data to form the right kind of team.

While call volumes vary day to day, they found roughly 37% of 911 calls were mental health related.

The BEAR team was formed out of community concern that the presence of uniformed first responders on a mental health call escalate the situation.

“Police officers are very well trained. They’re trained for de-escalation, but they cannot be everything to every situation,” Assistant City Manager Patrice Toney said.

While other cities in the Triad have a co-response model where a mental health professional assists other first responders on a mental health call, the BEAR Team is a separate group of first responders.

The changes start at the 911 dispatcher’s office.

Dispatchers will get new training on how to decide if the call is a mental health crisis and if it’s safe. Leaders are also considering adding a specific dispatcher to take and sort these calls.

They’ll dispatch one of roughly seven BEAR Team members. The team is made up of social workers and crisis counselors.

Those team members go out to non-violent situations and try to get the patient connected with the resources they need.

They’ll be stationed at fire departments around the city in areas with a high level of mental health calls.

“Typically, the issues happen after five when there’s not a lot of resources or people don’t have the support they need, may not be able to go to the resources…open during the day, and they’re more likely to call the police at night when they need support,” Toney said.

Beyond responding more appropriately to calls and supporting Winston-Salem’s citizens, leaders hope the change will alleviate some of the stress on police officers from staffing shortages.

The team will run as a pilot program for the first year and is funded by roughly $700,000 in American Rescue Plan Act funding.

After a year, they’ll assess their progress and go back to Winston-Salem’s city council to consider if they want the program to be permanent. 

The team should start responding to calls in the spring.