Worcester Begins Program That Sends Social Workers To Emergencies Starts With Limits

WORCESTER, MA — A long-awaited program in Worcester that sends outreach workers to some emergencies has begun, officials said this week, but will serve limited areas across the city during specific hours.

Planning for the Mental Health Community Mobile Crisis Response Pilot Program began in the wake of the murder of George Floyd in 2020 as part of a series of local public safety reforms proposed by former city manager Ed Augustus Jr. Since 2021, UMass Memorial Health’s Community Healthlink has been building the program.

Under the original plan, the mobile crisis team — which includes mental health and social workers — would respond to emergencies involving substance abuse or mental health in Worcester. Typical first-responders like police, firefighters and EMTs would also respond if needed.

In turn, Worcester police and firefighters would also summon members of the team if they encounter people in need of mental health or substance abuse support.

According to a city news release, the program began this week serving only areas around the Park Avenue fire station near May St. and the fire station along Southbridge Street in the downtown area. A team from Community Healthlink's Jacques Avenue building will be on call daily from 3 to 11 p.m.

Worcester's model will follow other programs that have been hailed as successful in reducing conflict between police and people in crisis. Framingham has had a co-response program since 2003. In 2022 alone, the Framingham program helped divert nearly 100 people away from arrest and toward social services, according to a recent report.

Eugene, Ore., developed the first such program in the late 1980s. The city's CAHOOTS program pairs nurses and EMTs with social workers to respond to situations where police might not be necessary.

Many fatal police shootings involve people who are experiencing a mental health crisis. The most recent fatal Worcester police shooting involved a man who was suffering from mental health issues, according to his family and a Worcester County District Attorney's investigation into the April 2021 shooting. Worcester officer Paul Cyr shot Phet Gouvonvong along Grafton Street. Gouvonvong was armed with a rifle and knives at the time of the shooting.