TMHD in Tucson is comprised of three research components: an impact study, a process and implementation study, and a benefit-cost study.

1. The impact study will employ a quasi-experimental approach to examine the impact of Tucson’s crisis call mental health diversion, comparing the outcomes of individuals whose mental health 911 calls were diverted away from law enforcement response to those who received no integrated mental health crisis diversion response. MDRC will use existing administrative data maintained by Pima County, the City of Tucson, and Connections Health Solutions.
2. The process study will employ qualitative methods to document the evolution and the current status of law enforcement and mental health collaborations across Pima County, as well as to inform our understanding of the implementation and current practices of the diversion program and co-responder strategies in Tucson. For this component, MDRC will conduct structured observations of 911 call center processes, interview line staff and managers, and review documents related to the Tucson Policy Department’s mental health diversion efforts.
3. Finally, the benefit-cost study will compare the costs and benefits of the diversion program with traditional 911 responses. Interviews with system actors and stakeholders will be used to understand the resources required to run the diversion call center and traditional 911 response centers. Additional cost data will be gathered from agency expense reports and publicly available sources.