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Crisis to Care Collaborative Releases Groundbreaking Report on Erie County’s Response to Behavioral Health Emergencies

Crisis to Care Collaborative Releases Groundbreaking Report on Erie County’s Response to Behavioral Health Emergencies – Crisis to Care Collaborative

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Media Contact:
Casey Frantz,
cfrantz@martingroupmarketing.com
716-553-9717

Unprecedented, 55-plus-page countywide analysis exposes current system’s shortcomings and underscores the urgent need for reform

Serving as a blueprint for change, the analysis aims to transform Erie County’s behavioral health response and inspire similar efforts statewide 

Buffalo, NY (December 16, 2025) – The Crisis to Care Collaborative (CTC) released today a major 55-plus-page report analyzing how emergency call centers, police, EMS, and health providers in Erie County respond to people experiencing a mental health-related emergency. With 30 independent government agencies and nonprofits participating and 10 of these partners contributing data to the report, the CTC is using the report’s insights to guide next steps and help the community develop a clear roadmap forward. 

In May 2025, top elected officials in Buffalo and Erie County, joined by the CEO of the Erie County Medical Center (ECMC) and the Executive Director of the Patrick P. Lee Foundation announced the launch of CTC. The goal of the initiative is to reduce the frequency with which people in crisis are arrested or unnecessarily brought to ECMC’s emergency department and to increase the likelihood people experiencing such an emergency are connected to effective care. 

The report, available here, reveals key findings, including: 

  • Approximately three percent of calls (more than 21,000 calls in 2024) to 911 in Erie County were coded as mental health-related. First responders believe that tens of thousands of additional calls were also mental health-related but not coded as such. 
  • Mobile crisis teams, which make it possible for mental health clinicians to provide on-scene support to someone in crisis, have demonstrated effectiveness diverting people from the emergency department. However, staffing shortages impact the timeliness of their response and prevent them from completing more than half the visits they are deployed to.    
  • Buffalo police are dispatched on average more than once an hour to respond to someone experiencing a mental health emergency.  
  • Approximately 10,000 people went to the ECMC’s emergency department in 2024 because of a mental health emergency.  In nearly half these instances, people were transported to ECMC by police or ambulance.   

The findings from this extensive analysis reinforce the behavioral health crisis response framework CTC introduced in May—Call, Respond, Go. The framework’s focus is on improving how behavioral health related crisis calls are identified and processed, ensuring the appropriate responder is dispatched, and transforming where individuals in crisis are taken so they are routed to services that best meet their needs. 

Dr. Mike Hogan, the former Commissioner of New York State’s Office of Mental Health and lead author of the comprehensive report, said “Our findings are the result of an exhaustive analysis. We reviewed datasets involving more than one million annual calls to 911, which span ten county and municipal government agencies and health organizations. We interviewed at least 50 key stakeholders, and we conducted various listening sessions with members of the community.”  

For the report, Dr. Hogan added, “I don’t know of such an in-depth review of a county’s behavioral health emergency response system conducted anywhere else in New York State. I commend the leadership and members of the Crisis to Care Collaborative for being willing to take such a hard look at their system and for sharing their findings with the public.” 

“This report shows we can improve how emergency calls are handled, expand the use of specialized response teams, and give first responders better options for getting people in crisis to immediate care,” said Lisa Chimera, deputy county executive of Erie County and member of CTC’s Leadership Committee. 

Cassidy Baron was among the more than 100 Erie County residents engaged by the Crisis to Care Collaborative who shared their personal experiences with the county’s emergency response system. She explained that a family member sought immediate help when having thoughts of suicide but was dismayed when police showed up at her front door.   

“I’m grateful for the lifesaving role police can play,” said Baron. “But when someone you love is already overwhelmed by shame, heartbreak, and feeling completely misunderstood—so much so that they’re thinking about ending their life—seeing law enforcement at the door isn’t comforting. It feels like punishment, and it deepens the despair they’re already fighting.”  

“This report marks a critical first step in recognizing the cracks we need to fill when it comes to mental health response,” said John Garcia, sheriff of Erie County and member of CTC’s Leadership Committee. “While we do our best to train dispatchers and deputies to appropriately handle such calls, there is no doubt that a holistic approach to addressing crises is necessary.” 

Chief Brian Coons of the Cheektowaga Police Department joined other law enforcement leaders in CTC’s community listening sessions. “We appreciate residents sharing their experiences during mental health emergencies,” said Chief Coons. “Police are often the only available responders, even though we’re not always the ideal option for a mental health crisis.” 

Chief Coons highlighted the success of the department’s Behavioral Health Team, which pairs a clinician with a specially trained officer. “The report gives us new data to support expanding this team so we can respond to more 911 calls involving behavioral health emergencies,” he noted. 

“These findings underscore the critical importance of BestSelf’s new Intensive Crisis Stabilization Center (ICSC),” said Dr. Thomas Quatroche, CEO of ECMC. “The Center will provide a much-needed alternative to our Psychiatric Emergency Department—offering around-the-clock, immediate care for certain individuals experiencing mental health or substance use crises.” 

BestSelf is scheduled to open the ICSC on Niagara Street in Buffalo in January 2026. 

“The Patrick Lee Foundation is proud to support the Crisis to Care Collaborative,” said Jane Mogavero, executive director of the Patrick P. Lee Foundation. “The leadership, data-driven approach, and transparency behind this effort set a model for the rest of the state. We look forward to presenting recommendations in 2026 that will strengthen the chances that people in crisis receive the care they need and deserve.” 

Learn more at CrisisToCare.org.