Durham HEART initiative takes a sensitive approach to involuntary commitments

Making a difficult and potentially traumatic process easier is the goal of the City of Durham's new approach to involuntary commitments.

The police department and community safety department have received almost $400,000 of state money to try a new system.

Experts said an involuntary commitment takes time, can be traumatic, and sometimes unnecessary. This new HEART program meets people where they are, and creates a more gentle process.

Jessica Laube is a shift supervisor in Durham's Community Safety Department. She's also a certified first commitment evaluator for the state.

"We understand that most often, everyone in that situation is in need of support, and that's what we're here for," Laube said.

Laube told us moving a first exam into the field, rather than automatic transport to a hospital or facility, benefits everyone.

"Being able to speak with neighbors where they are and literally meet them where they are, will just be so good for our neighbors as often as possible," she said.

In 2023, Durham police conducted nearly 1,000 involuntary commitment calls for service - that amounted to over 1,400 hours of response time.

Durham Community Safety Department Director Ryan Smith said an unnecessary transport can do harm and this new process could eliminate that.

"This will be taking that first exam, moving it into the field, with the hope that if someone doesn't meet that criteria, that we can avoid a transport to a hospital," Smith said. "If they do meet the criteria, we can perhaps improve the experience by providing better understanding to those on the scene about like how this is going to go, this is the process."

Smith said the new process could roll out this spring. He said law enforcement will still respond to these calls as well. This would be an entirely new unit in the Community Safety Department. Smith added they already have employees who are certified to do this work.