Canopy Roots reports expansion and data gaps in city-funded Behavioral Crisis Response

Canopy Roots, the contracted operator of Minneapolis'funded Behavioral Crisis Response (BCR), briefed the Public Health and Safety Committee on Oct. 29 and reported program growth, examples of front-line work and outstanding data and scope questions raised by council members.

Sheree Hansen, program manager for the Minneapolis BCR program at Canopy Roots, told the committee the program is an unarmed, clinically staffed first responder model embedded in 911 that aims to decriminalize mental-health crises, avoid unnecessary involuntary hospitalization, and connect people to community-based services. She said Canopy Roots now operates around the clock and has expanded to a maximum of five vans in service at peak times.

Hansen said Canopy Roots responded to more than 11,500 calls in the most recent year and nearly 35,000 calls since the program's launch in December 2021; about 75% were coded as behavioral crisis welfare checks (BCRW) and about 25% as priority-1 mental-health BCR calls. Lead responder Tiana Ingram described a priority call involving a person with suicidal intent and an accessible firearm: Canopy Roots staff de-escalated, worked with police to secure the weapon, and transported the person voluntarily to a hospital. "We got her to a point where EMS wouldn't be needed," Ingram said, describing the outcome as the product of rapport-building and rapid coordination with police.

Council members pressed staff for more rigorous annual performance data. Council Member Palmisano noted a legislative directive due in June that requested response-time metrics, average call duration, staffing resources and outcome breakdowns; she said the council needs…