The city is investing major money and staffing to address mental illnesses and lower the amount of mental health crises that result in 911 calls.

An announcement laid out the expansion of mental health professionals and how they will intervene before, during and after a serious situation.

In hopes of reducing those calls, the city will add four Health Engagement and Assessment Teams (HEAT), one clinician and one person who's experienced a mental health challenge to engage callers. They will also add six mobile crisis teams that can be deployed to people's homes for intervention and to connect them to services.

In the Bronx's 47th Precinct and Harlem's 25th Precinct, the city is adding four additional HEAT teams, creating a community-based mental health safety net of local organizations for people post-psychiatric hospitalization and adding four co-response teams of two officers and one clinician who will respond to emergency mental health 911 calls.

This will be the first time mental health professionals will be part of the city's 911 response. There has been a call for more NYPD mental health training, and this plan includes that. The $37 million investment is said to be implemented immediately.

According to the mayor's office, mental health-related 911 calls have risen from 97,000 10 years ago, to 180,000 in 2018.