KINGSTON, N.Y. (NEWS10) — The city of Kingston, in conjunction with Ulster County and Access: Support for the Living, launched a Mobile Mental Health pilot project on Monday. The program will pair a mental healthcare specialist with a Kingston Fire Department Emergency Medical Technician to staff a mobile response unit.

The team of social worker and EMT will have a dedicated ambulance and will provide person-centric crisis response to mental health emergency calls. They will work weekdays from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and will respond within the city of Kingston.

“We are proud to launch this new service as the first municipality upstate to implement a mobile mental health program,” said Kingston Mayor Steven T. Noble. “We recognized that, with the growing mental health crisis, the need to provide more specialized services for our residents. With our highly trained fire department and a mental health professional, we will be able to provide the support our community needs in situations that would have previously involved law enforcement.”

If you or someone you know is in crisis, call 911 or text the new 988 suicide and crisis lifeline. In Kingston, residents can also reach out to city police at (845) 331-1671.