A new way for police to respond to some mental health calls is being tried out in the Hudson Valley, for the first time ever in Orange County.

The Town of Wallkill opened its own Mobile Mental Health Response Unit on Monday to help officers on calls involving a mental health crisis. 

The dedicated team is staffed by trained professionals. It's the first MRT unit inside a Hudson Valley police department, outside of Manhattan and Westchester.

Before that, Wallkill relied on two other mobile units that covered the entire county.

“There’s countless number of cases where mobile mental health did respond, and they were able to facilitate the person voluntarily agreeing to accompany us or them into emergency treatment," said Town of Wallkill Police Chief Robert Hertman. 

Officials say Wallkill is among the top five busiest departments in Orange. The MRT team will also help other nearby departments as needed.

If you or someone you know is experiencing a mental health crisis in Orange County, call 311 or 988 for help.