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A crisis event, for example someone suffering the devastating repercussions of a mental health disability like alcoholism or drug addiction, calls for an intervention directed by professionals who can help get them the treatment they so desperately need before it's too late. A Crisis Intervention Team in Hays is a form of community monitoring which calls upon and utilizes law enforcement, healthcare, and other concerned agencies as well as family members to help addicts in crisis. This starts with the training and education of law enforcement officers, healthcare providers, and other participating team members in the community so they learn how to respond and effectively work together during such a crisis. There are training programs available to educate law enforcement officers and 911 emergency operators for example, which involves 40 hours of training in collaborating with the mental health professionals they will be working with during the crisis, refining verbal de-escalation techniques so that they can address and resolve the crisis without it becoming a potentially violent or antagonistic situation, etc.
In many instances, Crisis Intervention Teams are used as a means of jail diversion. Meaning, being able to appropriately respond to the incident as a mental health issue and not a crime helps keep individuals having a mental health crisis out of jail and where they should be, in treatment and getting help. This also keeps individuals with mental health problems out of prison where they do not have access to adequate mental health therapy and resources to properly handle their disorder, such as a substance abuse disorder. Rather than in jail, those in crisis can receive counseling, behavioral therapies, medication and other treatment to help them recover. This not only helps the person in crisis, but also the entire community because it costs more to keep someone with a mental health disorder in prison than it does to treat them in an appropriate mental health program.
