Expanded Mental Health Crisis Response

City, County Partnering on Expanded Mental Health Crisis Response

New Countywide System Designed to Improve Access to Trauma-Informed Mental Health Care for Individuals in Crisis

(BINGHAMTON, N.Y.)-Mayor Jared M. Kraham joined Broome County Executive Jason T. Garnar on Monday to announce $100,000 in funding from the City to support the expansion of local mental health crisis response.

Mayor Jared M. Kraham said: "The Binghamton Police Department has long been a statewide leader in crisis intervention, partnering with licensed mental health professionals on calls to connect residents with the help they need. This funding will support a new vision for a better-coordinated, countywide mental health crisis response system, with more resources and staff to meet a critical need. My thanks to Broome County Executive Jason Garnar and the Broome County Mental Health Department for leading this effort, and to the mental health professionals who work alongside members of law enforcement to improve crisis response across our community."

Broome County Executive Jason T. Garnar said: "This is about getting the right help to people when they need it most. By expanding mobile crisis services countywide, we're improving access to behavioral health care and ensuring that no matter where someone lives in Broome County, help is only a phone call away. I want to thank Mayor Kraham and the City of Binghamton for their partnership and support as we work together to meet the needs of our community and strengthen our mental health response."

Mayor Kraham included $100,000 in the 2026 Budget to support a County-led effort to establish an integrated mobile crisis intervention service coordinated through 9-1-1 dispatch.

The new countywide system will expand and strengthen mobile crisis services throughout Broome County, supported by a $400,000 annual allocation from the county, more than doubling funding in 2026.

This enhanced program will help ensure that residents from the City of Binghamton to the most rural parts of the County have timely access to trained mental health professionals during a crisis. It's designed to reduce reliance on emergency departments and law enforcement while providing trauma-informed, person-centered support for individuals experiencing behavioral health.

Earlier this year, the County issued a Request for Proposals (RFP) to identify qualified providers to lead the expansion, with the selected team expected to launch operations at the beginning of the new year.

The Binghamton Police Department currently partners with the Mental Health Association of the Southern Tier (MHAST) on programs that employ specially trained mental health workers to respond with law enforcement to assist individuals in crisis or living with mental health challenges, or divert low-risk, non-emergency calls from law enforcement response directly to trained mental health counselors.

All sworn officers in the Binghamton Police Department receive mental health awareness training, with at least twenty percent of officers completing the more intensive Crisis Intervention Team training.

The $100,000 in next year's budget will be available to provide flexible support to the new expanded program as needed, including for vehicles, gear, training or other upstart needs.