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KUNC's Colorado Edition

Aurora launches new, alternative response team for handling behavioral health crises

By Tess Novotny,
Erin O'Toole, Henry Zimmerman
Published October 15, 2021 at 4:45 PM MDT
Aurora Mobile Response Team program manager Courtney Tassin, Falck Rocky Mountain paramedic Alex James and Aurora Mental Health clinician Tandis Hashemi.
Photo courtesy of Courtney Tassin
From left to right: Aurora Mobile Response Team program manager Courtney Tassin, Falck Rocky Mountain paramedic Alex James and Aurora Mental Health clinician Tandis Hashemi.

The city of Aurora launched a new crisis intervention program last month. The Aurora Mobile Response Team, under the city’s Division of Housing and Community, is sending unarmed, trained mental health professionals to respond to some emergency calls. The idea is to provide better support and de-escalation for people experiencing mental health crises.

It’s currently in a pilot phase through March 12, 2022. They are accepting calls in northwest Aurora Wednesday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.

For more about the mobile response team and how it works, we spoke with program manager Courtney Tassin, Falck Rocky Mountain paramedic Alex James and Aurora Mental Health clinician Tandis Hashemi.

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KUNC's Colorado Edition AuroraMental HealthPolice Reform
Tess Novotny
As a producer for Colorado Edition, I pitch segment ideas, pre-interview guests, craft scripts and cut audio. I also write tweets, build web posts and occasionally host.
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Erin O'Toole
As the host of KUNC’s new program and podcast In the NoCo, I work closely with our producers and reporters to bring context and diverse perspectives to the important issues of the day. Northern Colorado is such a diverse and growing region, brimming with history, culture, music, education, civic engagement, and amazing outdoor recreation. I love finding the stories and voices that reflect what makes NoCo such an extraordinary place to live.
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Henry Zimmerman
I host and produce KUNC’s in-depth, regional newsmagazine Colorado Edition, which has me searching across our state for peculiar and impactful stories to bring to listeners, always with a focus on empowering the people who hear our show and speaking through them to our guests. I am also a big nerd about field recording and audio editing, my dedication to which I hope serves our listeners who care about audio as much as I do.
See stories by Henry Zimmerman