Creating a Crisis Continuum of Care

About the Program

Category: Health (Best in Category)

Year: 2023

Delivering a full continuum of crisis services became a top priority for Montgomery County in 2022. We continue to recover from a mass shooting that took nine lives and a series of devastating tornadoes that left hundreds of families homeless. Then COVID-19 entered Ohio, claiming more than 2000 lives in Montgomery County. The trauma of these events left many needing behavioral health crisis services 24/7. Montgomery County ADAMHS, in partnership with RI International, launched the Crisis Call Center and Mobile Crisis Response Team on January 1, 2022. The purpose is to provide 24/7 crisis services, either over the phone or in person, to alleviate calls to law enforcement and lessen the number of hospital visits for those experiencing a behavioral health crisis. In 12 months, the Crisis Call Center received more than 12,000 calls. 87% of the calls were resolved over the phone, connecting individuals to treatment providers for follow-up care. 83% of the mobile responses were resolved in the community, with only 12% requiring involvement from law enforcement. The full continuum of care will be complete in April of 2023 with the opening of the Crisis Receiving Center, giving individuals a place to go to receive crisis services 24/7.