Involuntary Transports For Psychiatric Evaluation

Process for Officer-Initiated & Clinician-Initiated Involuntary Transports

* This event is reflected in data on the dashboard.
* * This is not an arrest.
Information on the hospital care process reflects the process for 9.58 transports to NYC Health + Hospitals facilities only, private hospitals may have different policies. All hospital data in the dashboard is collected from NYC Health + Hospitals facilities.

New York City’s involuntary transports policy seeks to ensure that individuals who exhibit symptoms of mental illness and present a risk of serious harm to self or others receive appropriate care. It aims to achieve the City's dual commitment to delivering compassionate care to those who need help, while addressing public safety concerns - recognizing that both are essential to community well-being. The policy facilitates a timely response to crisis situations by empowering mental health professionals and law enforcement to make informed decisions to transport individuals to hospitals for evaluation by a physician. The city’s involuntary transport policy emphasizes a collaborative, interagency approach involving mobile clinicians, outreach teams, law enforcement, emergency medical services, and hospitals.

The NYC Involuntary Transports Dashboard is designed to track the city's use of the legal provisions under Sections 9.41 and 9.58 of the New York State Mental Hygiene Law, which allow for both officer-initiated (9.41) and clinician-initiated (9.58) involuntary transports to a hospital for individuals who appear to be mentally ill and are conducting themselves in a manner, which is likely to result in serious harm to themselves or others. The dashboard monitors and displays trends related to involuntary transports across agencies, including the New York City Police Department (NYPD), Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) Police Department, New York City Department of Homeless Services (DHS), New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (DOHMH), and NYC Health + Hospitals.

The goals are to increase transparency and allow New Yorkers to understand how the city is utilizing involuntary transports to connect individuals in crisis with a psychiatric evaluations. Tracking this data over time can help identify trends in utilization and inform policy.

For more information about Involuntary Transports: 

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Other City Resources for Individuals in Need of Mental Health Support

Anyone can reach out to 988 at any time of day or night, any day of the year, to speak with a trained crisis counselor or peer support specialist. NYC 988 is the city’s largest mental health crisis service. 988 counselors and peers will listen to a caller’s situation, help through the moment of crisis with emotional support and coping skills, and connect them to ongoing mental health services that meet their needs, at a mental health clinic for example.