Crisis Response Team: Mobilizing Technology to Enhance Care

Imagine you were Jacob, a 68-year-old with comorbid chronic pain and Major Depressive Disorder, who’s had more than his fair share of ED visits. Your distress has gotten worse and now you’re feeling unsafe. You have to call 9-1-1, but you hesitate. Picking up that phone will start a chain reaction; a call that once initiated, will insert a series of doctors, social workers, and nurses in your life—all of whom will undoubtedly refer you to someone else within the system—leaving you to piece together disparate information, diagnoses and resources. Although Jacob’s experience is fictional, it is reflective of an all too real population of clients that struggle to navigate healthcare and receive services. In our own geographic area—Maricopa County, Ariz.—61% and 48% of residents indicated that mental health and access to healthcare were key issues within their communities, respectively. In Chandler, first responders were often the first to engage clients experiencing psychiatric emergencies, so, in 2004, the Chandler Fire Department (CFD) integrated Crisis Intervention Specialists—professionals with behavioral health backgrounds—into its service delivery model. The Crisis Response Team, along with the whole of CFD, leveraged technology to enhance the client experience, deliver cost-effective care, and provide referrals and follow-ups to the city’s most vulnerable populations. Crisis Response Team Persons with serious mental illness (SMI) are often ov...
Source: JEMS Special Topics - Category: Emergency Medicine Authors: Tags: Mobile Integrated Healthcare Source Type: news