DHHS Documentary Film

Northampton is transforming how communities respond to crises. Driven by evidence and rooted in equity, The 4th Responder enhances public safety, and brings support, stabilization, and trauma-informed care to the moments people need it most. 

In 2021, Northampton’s Policing Review Commission released Reimagining Safety, a community-driven report calling for a new approach to emergency response. Residents, experts, and first responders agreed that many 911 calls, especially those involving mental health, substance use, wellness checks, conflict, or housing concerns, needed a response rooted in care, not enforcement. Traditional first responders were routinely asked to fill roles they were not designed or trained to perform, increasing stress on police, fire, and EMS systems, and increasing the risk of harm or escalation for community members.

Building a Public Health “4th Responder”

Guided by these findings, Northampton formally established the Division of Community Care (DCC) within a newly expanded Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS). This “fourth responder” model expanded the city’s ability to address crises with unarmed, trauma-informed, highly trained professionals, providing safer and more effective support for residents, while minimizing interactions with the criminal justice system.

Academy of Music Marquee

See the Film - Coming Fall 2026

The 4th Responder captures Northampton’s decade of municipal innovation through harm reduction, health and data equity, collaboration with first responders, modern public health workforce development, and a new model of care-centered emergency response.

This groundbreaking documentary shares Northampton’s journey and their model for safer, more compassionate crisis response. Built on years of innovation, and paired with rigorous evaluation from the University of Massachusetts Amherst Center for Program Evaluation, Northampton created a replicable, evidence driven model that other cities can learn from.