In its first year on the job, Oklahoma City’s Mobile Integrated Healthcare team has stepped into thousands of 911 calls tied to mental health and substance use, often sending clinicians, peer specialists and paramedics instead of patrol cars. City and program leaders say the approach is already cutting the time officers spend parked on behavioral health scenes and giving residents a clearer path to follow-up care. The city plans to spotlight that first-year milestone at a public panel and resource fair later this month.
Housed inside the Oklahoma City Fire Department, MIH is broken into four specialty squads: Crisis Call Diversion, Crisis Response, Alternative Response and a Community Advocacy Program. The units blend licensed clinicians, paramedics and peer recovery specialists with response navigators so callers can be stabilized, treated and connected to services without automatically involving police when it is safe to do so. The City of Oklahoma City notes the program grew out of the Public Safety Partnership and a 2022 recommendation report on how to overhaul local crisis response.
Year One By The Numbers
According to The Oklahoman, MIH teams have already taken on more than 5,000 calls for service since May 2025. The paper reported that Oklahoma City police logged about 9,634 mental health calls in 2024 and roughly 6,905 in 2025, numbers that help explain why city officials pushed for an alternative response model. Program leaders told reporters the shift is not only rerouting workload, it is also opening new pathways into treatment and support.
How The Teams Work
The operation starts with triage inside the 911 center. Crisis call navigators posted alongside call takers work to calm and stabilize people over the phone, sending mobile teams only when in-person care is needed. Crisis Response units pair a paramedic with a behavioral health clinician for higher acuity situations, while Alternative Response teams focus on overdoses and less acute needs. Community Advocacy crews circle back to frequent callers to tackle issues like housing, benefits and other root causes that keep driving emergencies. Coverage at launch described the decision to embed clinicians at 911 as the linchpin for matching each call with the right kind of responder. KGOU
Anniversary Panel And Resource Fair
To mark MIH’s first year, the city is hosting a free Mental Health Info Session at 6 p.m. on Tuesday, May 12, at the Mick and Terri Cornett MAPS 3 Health and Wellness Center, 11501 N. Rockwell Ave. The event will feature a panel of crisis response and system coordination experts along with a resource fair where residents can learn about insurance navigation, local treatment options and other support. The City of Oklahoma City has registration details and additional information.
Funding And Next Steps
Program leaders say the next big hurdles are steady funding and more staffing. MIH recently secured an opioid abatement grant that will pay for two outreach positions and needed supplies, but managers told reporters that additional hires would be necessary to speed up expansion and lengthen operating hours. The city initially launched MIH with about 27 staff members and currently runs mobile units from roughly 7 a.m. to 11 p.m. Officials say more personnel would help extend coverage and deepen follow-up work with people who keep cycling back into crisis. Free Press OKC reported the grant award, and launch coverage detailed the original staffing and schedule. OKC VeloCity…