Henrico outlines Marcus Alert call triage, mobile response team and interlocal support

Alysa Morgan, Executive Officer for Emergency Communications, and partners from the Commonwealth’s Attorney’s Office and Henrico Area Mental Health & Developmental Services updated the Board on Marcus Alert implementation on June 9. Deputy Commonwealth’s Attorney Michael Feinmel summarized the Marcus-David Peters Act of 2020 and described the locality’s obligation to create a voluntary database to provide mental health information and emergency contacts to responders.

Morgan reviewed Henrico’s Four-Level Triage Framework and described new call-taking procedures and training; she said all calls receive a level from 1 to 4 and that Henrico is working with New Kent and Charles City to develop compatible processes. Laura Totty reviewed Mobile Response Team activity and a monthly activity heat map; staff described the MRT as pairing masters-level mental health clinicians with police officers to provide an informed behavioral-health response in the field. Feinmel said the Act is intended to ensure "a compassionate and informed behavioral health response."