Support Team Assisted Response (STAR)

About Support Team Assisted Response (STAR)

STAR sends a behavioral health clinician and EMT/paramedic to crisis calls as an alternative to "traditional" 911 responses. Our mission is to help with crises related to mental health, substance use and more, all with a focus on harm reduction. Learn more about this program below.

What is STAR?

In 2020, STAR began as a pilot program between WellPower, Denver Health, First Responder partners, Denver Department of Public Health and Environment as well as community stakeholders like Caring4Denver and more. Since then, STAR has grown to include a Community Partner Network that works with multiple agencies and organizations throughout the Denver Metro Area to provide crucial behavioral health services after the STAR van teams' initial response.

How does it work?

Before the STAR program began, Denver's 911 system was limited to addressing 911 calls through traditional ways, like sending police, firefighters or emergency medical services (EMS). STAR created a fourth option.

When someone calls 911 for something like a mental health crisis, substance use issue, welfare check or even something like homelessness, their call can now be routed to STAR, which sends a behavioral health professional and an EMT/paramedic to the person in distress.

When the STAR mobile unit arrives, the individual in crisis can be assured that the interaction is grounded in a harm reduction, trauma-informed philosophy. The team, dressed in street clothes, provides direct clinical de-escalation and community service connections, as well as on-demand resources such as water, food, clothing and basic living supports.

STAR can also refer to wraparound behavioral health services, such as short-term case management.

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What does this mean for the community?

Ultimately, the success of STAR will be measured by resolving crises and connecting people to services. First Responder services in Denver (such as police), with the support of 911 emergency services and the community, have put a significant emphasis on creating alternatives to a traditional criminal justice and emergency response approach.

The program is producing paradigm shift results. With over 14,000 encounters since its inception, STAR has reached more than 8,500 individuals. Of the 12,000 clinical encounters between June 2020 and December 2024, only 3% resulted in a mandatory psychiatric hold—a testament to the team’s ability to de-escalate and support with their clinical expertise. Instead, 30% of those encounters included transport and connection to additional services, and roughly half received referrals to appropriate community care, including that provided by STAR’s Community Partner Network.

As the STAR program expands, this means fewer people will go to jail or need to use emergency medical services for calls the STAR team can address.

To access STAR support directly for yourself or another person, please call the non-emergency line at (720) 913-2000 or call the STAR line at (720) 913-STAR (7827). You can also call 911 and Denver's trained operators will dispatch the more appropriate available response, including STAR. The STAR program operates seven days a week, 6:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m.

2025 Feature: Five Years of Community Impact

In the heart of Denver, a movement is reshaping how the city responds to mental and behavioral health crises. It doesn’t arrive with sirens or flashing lights. It doesn’t wear a badge or carry restraints. It shows up in a van, staffed by a Denver Health paramedic or EMT and a WellPower mental health clinician, ready to listen, support and connect. This is STAR—the Support Team Assisted Response program—and it’s been offering an alternative for what a first response can be for the past five years.

Five Years and Over 14,000 Responses

Launched as a pilot in 2020, STAR sends a mental health clinician and emergency medical professional to certain 911 calls. Over the past five years, the program has grown from one van and a handful of staff into a multi-agency, integrated team with multiple vehicles, operating from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m., seven days a week across the City and County of Denver. The mission? To offer an alternative to police or emergency medical services (EMS) when someone is in a behavioral health crisis. And it’s working.

“Anyone in Denver can call 911 and, if appropriate, have a STAR van meet them where they are,” said Maita Thams, LPC, program manager for STAR. “We’re giving people hope that their needs will be met in a trauma-informed way.”

Contact the STAR program

To access STAR support directly for yourself or another person, please call (720) 913-2000. You can also call 911 and Denver's trained operators will dispatch the more appropriate available response, including STAR. The STAR program operates seven days a week, 6:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m.

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In crisis right now and need someone to talk to? The Mental Health Lifeline is here to help.

The 988 Colorado Mental Health Line is available for free, immediate, human support 24/7/365. If you or someone you know is struggling with an emotional, mental health, and/or substance use concern, call or text 988 or live chat at 988colorado.com.

In Colorado, you can also visit a walk-in center for immediate, in-person help in a crisis. Denver’s walk-in center (operated by WellPower) is at 4353 E. Colfax Ave. Find the location closest to you here.

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Support Team Assisted Response (STAR)