Mental health professionals will start responding with UW-Madison Police officers next week to certain calls, the university announced Friday. The “co-responder model” consists of two trained University Health Services workers joining UWPD officers on calls where students are experiencing a mental health crisis. The duties of mental health crisis workers include taking students to the hospital, if necessary. UWPD Chief Kristen Roman explained that this partnership has been planned out since 2020, with help from the Mental Health Services’ Student Advisory Board, BIPOC Coalition and Associated Students of Madison.