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| Westland city and police officials welcome representatives of Hegira Health to the community as the new mental health initiative takes effect in the city. Hegira will have a licensed master's level social worker on call at the police station to handle police calls with a mental-health component. |
The Westland department has partnered with Hegira Health to launch a mental health initiative led by a full-time licensed master's level social worker operating from police headquarters. Officials said this initiative will allow officers to help residents with mental health challenges receive help from a well-trained and licensed behavioral health professional. The new resource will also allow officers more time on the street rather than dealing with usually time-consuming mental health situations requiring professional intervention.
Though officers are usually not trained and equipped to address mental health crises, the Westland Police Department responded to an average of 500 mental health calls each year during the last three years, according to statistics provided by the city. According to The Council of State Government (CSG) Justice Center, “These calls can be among the most complex and time-consuming for officers to resolve, redirecting them from addressing other public safety concerns and violent crime … When these calls come into 911/ dispatch, the appropriate community-based resources are often lacking to make referrals, and more understanding is needed to relay accurate information to officers.”
Officials said the new initiative is crucial and underscores the immense value Westland continues to place on residents and their needs.
“With this new partnership, we now have a great way to put people in touch with a variety of resources for needs such as substance use disorder, depression, and other concerns. We look forward to the many benefits this initiative will bring to the community and the police department,” said Police Chief Jeff Jedrusik.
He recalled that in 2021, the department partnered with First Step to have an onsite victim's advocate to help victims of domestic violence. That same year, it also established the Special Victims Unit (SVU) comprising a multidisciplinary team of professionals to provide a victim-centered response to incidents of sexual assault, child abuse and domestic violence. “This nascent partnership with Hegira Health serves as the natural next step and will provide Westland Police with trained and licensed behavioral health clinicians to better assist residents,” Jedrusik concluded.
“Hegira Health is one of Michigan's largest freestanding integrated, behavioral healthcare organizations. It is their goal to ensure availability of quality, individualized and rapidly accessible behavioral and primary health services while being dedicated to the diversified needs of the community,” noted Mayor William R. Wild. “With this formal partnership, the Westland Police Department now has a dedicated behavioral health clinician that has their own office within the police department.”
