New York City's plan to shift its mental health response program away from EMTs is being rolled out by Mayor Eric Adams. The B-HEARD initiative, launched in 2021, provides non-police responses to 911 calls related to mental health crises. However, the mayor has announced that he wants to reconfigure the staffing model for the program.
The change comes as Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani prepares to take office and expand the B-HEARD initiative. During his campaign, Mamdani vowed to significantly increase the number of teams and make other changes to the program as part of his broader effort to remove police from mental health response.
Under the new model, which is set to launch in spring 2026, B-HEARD teams will consist of a nurse, an ambulance driver, and a social worker, all employed by NYC Health and Hospitals. The FDNY EMTs will no longer be part of these teams, allowing them to focus on other types of calls and help reduce the city's emergency response times.
The shift is designed to address hiring challenges for EMTs, which has limited the city's ability to expand B-HEARD. Dr. Mitchell Katz, president and CEO of NYC Health and Hospitals, notes that while a shortage of social workers previously hindered expansion, it is no longer as significant a barrier.
However, Mayor-elect Mamdani plans to implement his own changes to B-HEARD, including staffing teams with trained peers who have lived experiences with mental health issues. This move aligns with the advocacy efforts of many in the community.
The new model aims to expand B-HEARD's capacity and ensure that there is at least one team operating in every neighborhood. Since its launch, B-HEARD has responded to nearly 35,000 mental health calls, but an audit found that it still missed a significant share of eligible calls due to limited capacity.
The changes will allow the FDNY EMTs to focus on other emergency response units and improve ambulance response times, while still addressing mental health emergencies in the city.
The change comes as Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani prepares to take office and expand the B-HEARD initiative. During his campaign, Mamdani vowed to significantly increase the number of teams and make other changes to the program as part of his broader effort to remove police from mental health response.
Under the new model, which is set to launch in spring 2026, B-HEARD teams will consist of a nurse, an ambulance driver, and a social worker, all employed by NYC Health and Hospitals. The FDNY EMTs will no longer be part of these teams, allowing them to focus on other types of calls and help reduce the city's emergency response times.
The shift is designed to address hiring challenges for EMTs, which has limited the city's ability to expand B-HEARD. Dr. Mitchell Katz, president and CEO of NYC Health and Hospitals, notes that while a shortage of social workers previously hindered expansion, it is no longer as significant a barrier.
However, Mayor-elect Mamdani plans to implement his own changes to B-HEARD, including staffing teams with trained peers who have lived experiences with mental health issues. This move aligns with the advocacy efforts of many in the community.
The new model aims to expand B-HEARD's capacity and ensure that there is at least one team operating in every neighborhood. Since its launch, B-HEARD has responded to nearly 35,000 mental health calls, but an audit found that it still missed a significant share of eligible calls due to limited capacity.
The changes will allow the FDNY EMTs to focus on other emergency response units and improve ambulance response times, while still addressing mental health emergencies in the city.
. I'm like "what's good with the EMTs? They're just tryna do their thang" 
. But for real, it makes sense 'cause they gotta focus on other types of calls and help reduce emergency response times 
. And now we got Mayor-elect Mamdani comin' in with his own changes, like staffin' teams with trained peers who've been through mental health struggles 
. That's actually kinda cool, it shows he's listenin' to the community's concerns 
. Maybe this is a step in the right direction for NYC's mental health response program 
. But hey, can't we just get some more funding and staff 'em up already? 
. Reconfiguring B-HEARD teams will definitely help address staffing challenges & increase response capacity. It's about time they make the shift from EMTs to a more specialized team with nurses, social workers, and trained peers who get it 
.
. Like, I get why they wanna shift away from EMTs being part of B-HEARD teams - it's been a bit of a pain point, right? But at the same time, I feel bad for those FDNY guys who just got left hanging. They're still doing their thing, but now with a clearer focus on other types of emergencies.
. They're really stepping up the game (or should I say, scaling back?) when it comes to addressing mental health responses in the city. The idea of having trained peers with lived experiences join B-HEARD teams is genius 
. It's like, they get what's gonna be tough for people dealing with mental health issues, you know?
. Time to get this B-HEARD initiative really rolling!
just saw the news about NYC's plan to reconfigure the B-HEARD initiative 
, but I do wonder how they're gonna fill those EMT slots 
.
Did you see that 35k mental health calls responded to in 2 years? That's impressive 
! But also kinda alarming 
, since an audit said they missed half the eligible calls 
. Guess we need more teams and resources 
.
I love the idea of trained peers joining B-HEARD teams 
! We should see some stats on how effective those peer teams are 
Spring 2026 is just around the corner 
, can't wait to see the changes in action 
. Will be interesting to track response times and mental health call volume 
And now they're shifting the B-HEARD program away from EMTs because of some hiring challenges? That doesn't make sense to me... 
Let's not make any big decisions without making sure we have all the facts... 
. havin a team with a nurse, ambulanc driver, and social worker respondin to those calls instead of just EMTs might make all the difference. it's about time we prioritize people's wellbein over cop responses, ya feel? 
IT MAKES SENSE THAT THEY WOULDN'T WANT TO BE DEALING WITH MENTAL HEALTH CRISIS AFTER EVERYTHING ELSE THEY HAVE TO HANDLE. ALSO, IM NOT SURPRISED THAT MAYOR ELECT MAMDANI IS BRINGING IN HIS OWN VISION FOR B-HEARD, ITS ALL ABOUT GETTING THOSE PEER SUPPORT TEAM MEMBERS ON THE GROUND SO PEOPLE CAN FEEL COMFORTABLE AND TRUSTED WITHIN THEIR COMMUNITIES 
. The fact that B-HEARD teams are shifting away from FDNY EMTs and towards a nurse, social worker, and ambulance driver combo makes total sense. They should really consider implementing those trained peer teams too - it's all about giving the community more trust & understanding 
NYC's B-HEARD program is getting a new look 
team members 
it's about time 
for more community-led responses 
the new model is designed to increase capacity 
and get more teams on the ground 
in every neighborhood 
with limited funding 
and staff shortages 
it's about time we saw more community-led responses 
. I mean, it's one thing to have a new model and another thing entirely to actually make it work. But hey, at least they're trying, right? That's more than I can say for some other cities 
I'm all for giving our mental health heroes (nurses & social workers) the love they deserve! it's about time we prioritize their work and make sure they can focus on helping people instead of trying to fill a bunch of open spots. i'm a little worried about how this is gonna affect the teams' ability to respond quickly, but i trust that NYC Health and Hospitals has got this 