The mayor is focusing on mental health, announcing the creation of an initiative meant to take the pressure off police, while responding to calls dealing with people in mental distress.

The EMS Mental Health Teams will place mental health crisis workers with EMS to help during mental health emergency calls.

At this point the mayor plans to launch the program in February 2021 and focus on two unnamed neighborhoods that are recording high levels of 911 calls for people in mental distress.

"This is brand new approach and it's taking an extraordinary team to put it together and let’s be clear, it’s a health centered approach, which means that we need help from health care leadership to design the approach," says Mayor Bill de Blasio.