Police strengthen mental health response through collaboration; clinician to join team
Santa Maria TimesJun 24, 2021
Jun. 24—As a crisis intervention officer with the
In the near future, however, he will be joined by a clinician from the
This will be the fifth co-response team in the county between law enforcement and Behavioral Wellness, with three teams in the
According to Shaffer, who has been in the crisis intervention role since September, the goal of the team is to provide comprehensive care and follow-up services to residents dealing with mental illness in an attempt to avoid jail or hospitalization.
Since January, the
"It's becoming more evident that there's a real need for it. Once
Having teams trained in recognizing signs of a mental health crisis and connecting individuals to resources has resulted in better law enforcement relationships in the community as well as decreased psychiatric hospitalizations, according to Behavioral Wellness Chief Quality Care and Strategy Officer
"It's an incredible pairing," she said. "The team will be dedicated and paired together during a full 40-hour week, so it's very much a collaborative process."
In the process of finalizing a memorandum with Behavioral Wellness, the
"Ideally they want to do that with an unmarked vehicle so that when the officer and clinician respond out to someone in mental health crisis they can do so in the most nonthreatening way possible," Schneider told the
Along with helping to respond to crisis situations, such as an individual with mental illness who is endangering themselves or others, the crisis intervention officer must maintain connections with residents who have been the subject of calls in the past.
This can involve connecting people to resources, driving them to appointments, checking in with their family members and even reminding people to take their medication, Shaffer said.
"It's also a way to contact people who aren't in crisis. Follow-up is a big one," he said. "Over the last year it's been that, building rapport with people."
In his role, Shaffer has undergone extensive training with the
However, the additional expertise of a trained clinician can improve these services even further, Grimmesey said.
"Sometimes a situation to someone who doesn't have a mental health background wouldn't jump out to someone as evidence of a mental health crisis," she said. "If it's responded to that way, you can avoid taking them into custody and get them the services they need."
If the police officer must leave the scene, the partnership also allows the clinician to remain with the individual and continue providing services.
As he waits for the finalization of the memorandum and the arrival of his new partner, Shaffer will keep maintaining community connections and meeting people where they are at.
"That's really the purpose of the position — to prevent these issues from happening, to get to know the people, and to keep it from getting to point of crisis, and if it does, then it's a familiar face," he said.
___
(c)2021 Santa Maria Times, Calif.
Visit Santa Maria Times, Calif. at http://www.santamariatimes.com
Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.