Archive

Multiple agencies, including the police department and housing partners, collaborate to identify people who are experiencing homelessness and connect them to housing supports and other services. … Read More

Community responder programs position health professionals and staff trained in crisis response as first responders to 911 and other emergency calls for service, as well as social disturbances. These teams provide immediate assistance for people experiencing behavioral health (i.e., mental health and substance use) crises, conduct wellness checks, help… Read More

This type of crisis stabilization consists of short-term case management services that seek to reduce a person’s symptoms of mental illness such that they can achieve stability in the community. Ultimately, community-based crisis stabilization reduces or prevents admissions to psychiatric inpatient care, jail, and/or other higher levels of care. … Read More

911 dispatch diversion, sometimes called crisis call diversion, varies across the country. For some communities, this means embedding clinicians in their dispatch centers who can respond to behavioral health crisis calls over the phone and resolve the issue through crisis counseling, needs assessment, or referral to ongoing services. Other… Read More

Law enforcement and behavioral health agencies collaborate with universities to hire interns who provide clinical support for police-mental health collaborations, such as co-response teams or mobile crisis units. While there are limitations to this approach (e.g., high turnover), these programs can help provide support for mental health professionals and/or fill… Read More

Officers seeking guidance on managing an encounter with a person who appears to be in mental health crisis may contact a designated mental health professional. These mental health professionals have access to a database where they are able to view information about the person’s mental health history. Read More

Officers have access to mental health professionals through tablet devices, which can be used in the field during mental health-related encounters. People involved in these encounters can speak with mental health professionals who conduct appropriate interventions virtually. Read More

Dispatchers and call-takers are trained to identify and appropriately respond to calls that may have a mental health component. This can include mental health awareness, verbal de-escalation techniques, appropriate triage and dispatch protocols, and coding of mental health calls. Read More

Law enforcement officers are trained to recognize and appropriately respond to people with mental illnesses and co-occurring disorders. Training commonly includes information about the signs and symptoms of mental illness and crisis management and intervention techniques. Read More