New N.Y. law aids mental health crisis response; "Every second counts"
WHITE PLAINS, N.Y. -- Westchester County is building a network of mobile crisis response teams, trained experts who respond to mental and behavioral health emergencies.
Now a new state law "green lights" helping them get where they're needed, faster.
CBS New York has more on what you'll see and how they respond.
It stems from police reform efforts, the creation of mental and behavioral health teams to respond to people in crisis.
"Individuals with mental health needs should be approached and helped, not by law enforcement, but by professionals who are trained in mental health and mental health crisis," said Joe Glazer, of the county's Department of Community Mental Health.
Glazer says as the teams are dispatched, they need to get to the scene as soon as possible. The new law allows crisis team members to install flashing green lights in their vehicles to alert other drivers they are on the way to a mental or behavioral health emergency.
"When you have behavioral health crisis responders going out, they are no different than an EMS technician, because in a health crisis seconds matter," state Sen. Pete Harckham said.
Some EMS volunteers are already allowed to install flashing green lights. Soon, mental health crisis responders will be able to do the same.
"They are allowed, if necessary, to exceed the speed limit, but not at a dangerous speed. They're not allowed to go through red lights. It's really a courtesy light. It's really asking people to let you go through," Glazer said.
Unlike red lights on police and fire trucks, drivers are not required to yield to flashing green lights, but are strongly encouraged to do so.
"These green lights represent individuals who are trying to get as quickly to help individuals in need, including those that we love," Glazer said.
The new law takes effect in May.
While Westchester County pushed for the "green light law," it applies statewide, as more and more counties implement mental health crisis response teams.