The SCALE + Lab

The SCALE + Lab, led by Senior Fellow and Research Professor Mindy Tarlow, has secured a three-year funding commitment from Blue Meridian Partners for the Behavioral Health Emergency Response Initiative (BHERi). The Pew Charitable Trusts has also extended its support for BHERi into 2026. BHERi seeks to reduce the frequency with which calls to 911 involving people experiencing mental health and/or substance use emergencies result in arrest or transport to the emergency department. The goal is to increase the likelihood people in crisis are instead connected to community-based care.
 
Launched in 2024, BHERi is a collaboration between the SCALE + Lab and three implementing partners: the Center for Behavioral Health and Justice at Wayne State University in Michigan, Clear Pathways at Peg’s Foundation in Ohio, and Meadows Mental Health Policy Institute in Texas. BHERi is concentrating initially on making significant, measurable progress in these three states, with a long-term vision for making a major impact on this issue nationally.