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Mental health professionals are available to respond to calls, either on the scene or as a follow up, at the request of law enforcement officers. These professionals can then begin the assessment process, provide acute on-site crisis stabilization, and facilitate connections to needed care and services. Some teams may also… Read More

Forensic Assertive Community Treatment (FACT) adapts the assertive community treatment (ACT) model to serve people with criminal justice system involvement, focusing on preventing arrest and incarceration. Treatment is coordinated by a multidisciplinary team with high staff-to-client ratios that assumes around-the-clock responsibility for clients’ case management and treatment needs. Read More

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