Philadelphia City Council Screens THE CARE TEAM

We were thrilled to share our new documentary THE CARE TEAM with Philadelphia City Councilmembers and staff earlier this week. This short documentary follows two mobile crisis workers as they respond to mental health emergencies across Philadelphia. Between house visits, Ben and DeShante discuss the experiences that led them to this work and reflect on the resources needed to support the communities they serve. 

Across Philadelphia, 21% of adults have a serious mental health diagnosis. This means that at least 1 in 5 adults in Philadelphia is at risk of experiencing a mental health crisis at any moment. Police officers cannot adequately care for people suffering from a mental health crisis. In fact, they often exacerbate crises. In the last ten years, over 2,050 people in the U.S. have been killed by police during a mental health emergency, and countless more have been abused, traumatized, and forcibly committed against their will. 

Right now, an average of 200 Philadelphians reach out to the city every day for support with a mental health crisis. With just four teams operating citywide, wait times run close to an hour. We are asking City Council to fully fund mobile crisis to create a fifth team and offer competitive pay.

We’re grateful to Councilmember Kendra Brooks and her team for hosting this screening for her colleagues at City Hall. She has championed mobile crisis response every step of the way and we could not be more grateful for her support. We were also blessed to have the event catered by Chef Kurt Evans, who shows up so consistently for our movement.

We look forward to screening The Care Team with communities across Philadelphia in the months to come. Our next screening will be at Making Worlds Bookstore next Thursday, July 12th at 6:00 PM, followed by a conversation on the state of mobile crisis with organizers from Amistad Law Project and Philadelphia Treatment Not Trauma. After the screening, we hope you'll gather with us for a reception at Manakeesh (4420 Walnut St, Philadelphia, PA 19104) from 7:30 - 9:00 PM. Register here to join us.

The Care Team is dedicated to the memory of Walter Wallace Jr., who was killed by Philadelphia police while he suffered from a mental health crisis in October 2020. May every person living with a serious mental health diagnosis receive the care Walter Wallace Jr. deserved.