Burnsville council approves opioid-funded pilot pairing firefighters, police with University clinicians

The Burnsville City Council on April 21 approved a resolution authorizing use of opioid-settlement funds to pilot a partnership between the city's emergency responders and University of Minnesota clinicians to provide case consultations and patient assessments for complex behavioral-health incidents.

The pilot, described to the council by Fire Chief B.J. Jungmann, will place a full-time firefighter-paramedic to work alongside the police department's established Behavioral Health Unit and the fire department's Critical Response team. Jungmann said the University clinicians would provide case consultation and assessment on more complex cases, offering "insight and some recommendations on how to best treat these folks and where to best bring them." He added that the city is using opioid funds for the pilot and that the money is "not coming out of the general fund."

Council discussion focused on the pilot's goal of improving initial assessments and navigation to long-term care for residents who otherwise cycle through emergency rooms. The resolution was moved, seconded and approved by voice vote; the transcript does not record a named mover, named second, or a numerical roll-call tally.

Next steps: the pilot will proceed under the adopted resolution with the Burnsville Police Behavioral Health Unit and the fire department's Critical Response team coordinating with University of Minnesota psychiatric and psychological clinicians for initial case consultations.