WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. — A newly formed team in Winston-Salem is already proving how vital it is.
You might remember News 2 telling you about the BEAR team. BEAR is an acronym for Behavioral Evaluation and Response.
Team members respond to mental health-related 911 calls.
It's only been around for a month and a half but crisis counselors have already responded to more than 300 calls.
Director Kristin Ryan said she expected the volume to be pretty high.
"I did expect at least roughly around 202, 150 but we are really pleased that the community has been reaching out and asking for the BEAR team," said Ryan.
The majority of calls are overnight and on weekends.
Calls have come from a diverse range of people from teens all the way to seniors.
Some people need help after they've gone through a lot of trauma or have had medication management issues.
One crisis counselor, Maiya Phillips, told News 2 she recently responded to a person threatening to jump in front of a bus.
"I was able to tell him what my role is and talked to him long enough to realize that he was actually willing to get some help and then I actually went to Urgent Care with him that night," said Phillips.
The BEAR team said it's received positive feedback from first responders since joining the force.
It's helped allow law enforcement to respond to more criminal matters.
"The collaborations with the 911 Communication Center have been tremendous. They have identified many callers that we can go out without law enforcement even knowing about the call and we just go out independently and it's not a call they have to respond to at all," said Ryan.
"Sometimes they've called and they've been like we want you all to just come out because we don't really know what to do. This is you all's area, so for me, it's been a good experience just collaborating with them," said Phillips.
As for the future, Ryan says she predicts even more calls during the winter months and around the holidays.
She said seasons play a big role in call volumes.