LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Louisville residents will now have increased access to behavioral health resources.

MetroSafe 911 and Seven Counties Services help connect those experiencing a behavioral health crisis to social workers and mental health professionals.

After calling 911, people experiencing a behavioral health crisis are connected with Louisville's Crisis Call Diversion Program to help ease the situation and access resources.

“Homicides are down; nonfatal shootings are down," said Louisville Mayor Craig Greenberg, D. "But let me be clear. While these declines are encouraging, they are nothing to celebrate." 

Greenberg added the team answered more than 1,000 calls in 2023. The time and resources the team spent helped the Louisville Metro Police Department (LMPD) save around 2,000 hours, which officials said was used to focus on responding to violent crime. 

The service is currently available 10 a.m. to 10 p.m., but it will be accessible until 2 a.m. starting Feb. 4. 

“Even more people across Louisville will be able to benefit from these services, and our police officers will have more hours available," Greenberg said. "More of their essential time can be focused on preventing and responding to violent crime. We are going to keep moving with urgency to expand important services like this." 

Nicole Wiseman, who works with Seven Counties, said she has witnessed individuals experiencing a mental health crisis calling 911 many times a day. 

"For mental health calls, it's a big thing that didn't exist before," Wiseman said. 

Seven Counties plans to staff 34 employees to meet the increased demand expected with the expanded hours and is still hiring.

The program aims to provide 24/7 access in the future.