April 29, 2020
It could be a call from a worried mom saying ‘my son is using drugs.’ Or it could be someone reporting their neighbor is acting strangely. We’re prepared for the unpredictable because we‘re responding to crisis situations,” said Jana Creech, LCSW.
Creech is a seasoned psychiatric social worker with Parkland assigned to the RIGHT Care team, a collaboration that includes a Parkland behavioral health expert, a Dallas Fire-Rescue paramedic and a Dallas Police Department patrol officer. The team of three responds to behavioral health-related 911 calls to help stabilize individuals on the scene and get them to the appropriate services that can meet their healthcare needs.
The results from the pilot project in south central Dallas are impressive: during 30% of the calls, individuals have been diverted from hospitals and jails to behavioral health resources in the neighborhood.
“Before the RIGHT Care program, outpatient, inpatient and emergency treatment were the only options available,” said Kurtis Young, MSSW, LCSW, social work director at Parkland. “We looked at the spectrum of care and needed more options for people in a behavioral health emergency, understanding there are specialized needs in a time of crisis. We needed to be involved with that first response, that first interaction with a patient. RIGHT Care is the first time police have been matched with a team to respond to these situations on the front line meeting patients where they are in the community.”
Now Parkland is expanding the program to more areas of Dallas County in need of behavioral health services that were identified in a recent Community Health Needs Assessment by Parkland and Dallas County Health and Human Services. In addition to the current RIGHT Care team in south central Dallas, a second team will be added to respond to calls in northwest and northeast Dallas County, and a third team will be centrally located to respond to calls anywhere in the county that require their expertise.
The additional response teams are only one part of the expansion. The other critical component in the RIGHT Care program is expanding collaboration with behavioral health service providers in the community. Parkland is working closely with organizations such as Metrocare and Homeward Bound to provide services to those experiencing a behavioral health emergency that prompted a call to 911.
Services include medication refills or a visit with a doctor. Often the individual can be seen the same day, getting them the care they need close to home and enrolled to receive services in the future.
“The impact of working with partners throughout the community is monumental,” Young added. “These partnerships – from first responders to non-profit organizations – are the linchpin that allows the RIGHT Care program to change lives.”
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