Submitted by greenhousecrtv t3_1203wlz in vermont
Comments
General_Skin_2125 t1_jdk4bea wrote
Okay, say you get a mental health professional out with the fire department on these calls... where do you bring them? to the ED? To sit in a waiting room surrounded by others also in crisis / injury?
ArkeryStarkery t1_jdk9knd wrote
Depends on the case.
Necessary_Cat_4801 t1_jdivnfc wrote
The problem is there is no mental health system whatsoever at the state level and no ability to take people who are a danger to themselves or others off the street. If everything is strictly voluntary we end up with nothing.
Galadrond t1_jdpazfd wrote
If someone is a danger to themselves or others they are in fact “taken off the street” via a court ordered psychiatric hold. They will end up at different facilities depending on the severity their symptoms. The problem is that continuity of care is next to non existent when people transition out of psychiatric facilities. The State of Vermont delegates outpatient care to a patchwork of different local agencies and that’s generally where the issues originate.
Necessary_Cat_4801 t1_jdx7ix4 wrote
Then the bar must be really, really high. It's much higher than it is in neighboring states.
Unique-Public-8594 t1_jdfleu6 wrote
From the article:
> MONTPELIER, Vt. (WCAX) - First responders throughout the state are working to learn different approaches to dealing with mental health crises.
> An incident at the Burlington Waterfront Wednesday where a man was harming himself with a knife prompted a heavy police response. Police say he was having a mental health crisis and they used a bean-bag shotgun to subdue him. The 37-year-old was taken to the UVM Medical Center for treatment.
> In Washington County, first responders are learning how to respond in similar situations. They are taking part in a five-day crisis intervention training course focused on responding to calls involving a mental health crisis.
> The project, spearheaded by the Montpelier Police Department, aims to give emergency services the tools they need to respond effectively.
> “We don’t want to be seen as the bad guys that come on scene. We want to be able to help people,” Montpelier Police Ofc. Alesha Donovan said.
> Donovan says every situation is different and the goal isn’t about saying the right thing, but listening the right way.
> “Like, ‘Hey, my name’s Alesha. I’m with the Montpelier police. What’s going on today? Can we just talk about it for a little bit? I see that you’re upset and that you’re a little frustrated.’ And just kind of go from there,” Donovan explained.
> Others like Rebecca Goldfinger-Fein, who oversees the crisis intervention training, says de-escalation is the primary focus.
> “Creating that space in response to let a person de-escalate and also assess what the needs truly are and how to best support them and trying to think wholistically about response,” Goldfinger-Fein said.
> However, Donovan says in some cases force is necessary.
> “Force is necessary in order to protect us as officers, protect fire and EMS... mental health if they’re on scene-- and any sort of member of the public that might be standing by,” she said.
> As part of their training on Thursday, trainees met with mental health care providers to learn about what services are available for people when they are called to intervene.
> Organizers say although crisis intervention training was intended for law enforcement, they’re also training other first responders.
> “There’s been an increasing emphasis on getting other first responders involved, like EMTs, to reduce the amount of law enforcement involvement in calls that involve mental health. And we also clarify what our roles are,” said Gary Gordon of Washington County Mental Health Services.
> The training is funded through a $150,000 grant. Part of that funding will be used to hire a peer recovery coach to work alongside first responders.
timberwolf0122 t1_jdhf9ak wrote
This is what is meant by defund the police. Take some funds and use them so the police aren’t as required for mental health emergencies
JustMakingChange t1_jdm7ujz wrote
That was stupid period it clearly said it was funded by a grant. I worked as a crisis clinician in VT. It's not always down to just money. All designated agencies rely on money from ADAP, Dept of Mental Health, and grants. Even with the money there, filling spots is hard because the work is fucking hard. Everyone talks about deescalation, as though it's the end all be all. it's a tool just like anything else, it may work, it may not work.
Left-Link5070 t1_jdhu3os wrote
So shooting suicidal or mentally unwell people isn’t working anymore? Weird
Necessary_Cat_4801 t1_jdx7p4v wrote
One would assume it works for the suicidal person, provided the wound is fatal.
Galadrond t1_jdgr2to wrote
Having worked in the Mental Health field before, I tell you right now that we’ve been BEGGING for deescalation training for decades. The major focus now though is getting properly paid mental health professionals who can respond to calls in conjunction with other Emergency Services. I REALLY wish that our State Government would stop procrastinating of the implementation of empirically proven best practices in regards to mental health crises and co-occurring substance abuse.