Changing Crisis Response: Community Based Crisis Services

Crisis Stabilization Services are a key component of the system of care. They are utilized to work with individuals in acute crisis who often have severe mental health challenges. Currently, most crisis stabilization services are provided in hospital-based settings. This results in not only a higher cost for service delivery but also often undue trauma for individuals and unnecessary interactions with law enforcement. Community-based crisis centers provide on-site crisis stabilization and intervention and can reduce some of the negative outcomes of the current hospital-based model that is frequently utilized. Community-based crisis services are able to reduce hospitalization rates by diverting individuals who do not require hospitalization and enabling the individuals to receive crisis stabilization services in the least restrictive environments. This course is designed to provide an overview of community-based crisis services and review Legacy Treatment Services’ transition from a hospital-based model to a community-based model. The session will include how to define elements of a mobile crisis response system and how to measure a crisis system’s effectiveness. It will also discuss barriers to implementing a community-based model and highlight key components needed to effectively deliver crisis services under a community-based model. The training is intended for all individuals who work with behavioral health, substance use, and individuals in crisis as individuals may find themselves in crisis, regardless of their environments or situations.