Since 2020, Denver, Colorado, has been operating a crisis-response program known as STAR (Support Team Assisted Response). The STAR program pairs paramedics and behavioral health professionals on designated vans to respond to certain 911 calls in lieu of a conventional response from law enforcement or other first responders. The STAR van teams work to de-escalate the immediate crisis and make referrals to a network of community-based service providers through the STAR Community Coalition. The STAR program offers an alternative to having police respond to behavioral health crises—reducing the potential for clients to experience additional trauma—and connects clients with resources that can help them obtain stability and address their longer-term service needs. 

This interim memo is part of an ongoing evaluation of the STAR program. An earlier brief, Understanding Denver’s STAR Program, described the STAR program and its early implementation. Here, we describe preliminary findings from our analyses of 911, public safety, and STAR encounter data collected from the Denver Department of Safety and from WellPower, the mental health services organization that staffs STAR van teams. We also describe findings from qualitative data collected through surveys and interviews with STAR program stakeholders, staff, and clients. 

From the program’s start in June 2020 through December 2023, we found that

• there were 38,375 STAR-eligible calls for service to 911;
• STAR-eligible calls for service increased notably from 2020–21 to 2022–23 as the pilot program expanded;
• STAR van teams responded to 38 percent of STAR-eligible calls for service in 2023, up from 16 percent in 2020; and
• STAR van teams have responded to an additional 7,899 calls for service that were not initially identified as “STAR-eligible” but that were referred to a STAR van team subsequently, often because another agency responded to a call and then identified that a STAR van team is an appropriate responding agency.

We also examined data from WellPower, the agency that staffs STAR van teams. Their data only reflect clinical STAR encounters—those where substantive services are provided—and these data reflect additional information not collected by 911. From June 2020 through October 2023, we found that

• STAR van teams had 6,700 clinical encounters with 4,435 distinct individuals;
• approximately one in five of these individuals had multiple such clinical STAR encounters; and
• more than three-quarters of all clinical STAR encounters identified “mental health” as a priority issue, whereas “suspected substance use” was cited as a priority issue in less than 20 percent of encounters.

Surveys of STAR clients and members of the broader community, along with interviews of STAR Community Coalition staff, highlighted the following:

• Coalition staff estimate that they receive referrals for only a small share of the clients who have STAR van clinical encounters.
• Housing is the biggest unmet need for STAR clients and Coalition providers have few housing resources they can offer.
• Wait times for appointments at large, community-based mental health organizations are a significant barrier.
• There are major barriers to connecting people with disabilities to services.