Behavioral Health
EMS providers are often called to respond to patients experiencing behavioral health emergencies and mental health concerns. In the Behavioral Health topic, find expert analysis into managing acutely agitated patients, responding to excited delirium patients, legal concerns and grant funding for mental health responses.
EMS World panelists shared their expertise in working with exceptional patients and discussed strategies and procedures that aid in creating a successful interaction for all involved
First responders recovering from a violent attack are best served by counselors with specific training and certification
Steve Whitehead asks the tough question: Are life-saving interventions turning deadly when managing behavioral health emergencies?
The San Antonio Fire Department earned the certification following policy changes focused on how personnel interact with the public and with one another
NYC Mayor Mamdani’s new Office of Community Safety will oversee mental health response, violence prevention and victim services as part of a broader strategy to reduce non-criminal demands on NYPD
Advocates say Worcester’s dispatch model sends armed officers instead of clinicians, raising safety concerns and questions about EMS system design
Programs that send mental health clinicians instead of police to crisis calls are expanding nationwide, but inconsistent funding and limited Medicaid reimbursement threaten their long-term stability
A weeklong Crisis Intervention Team course in Elkhart County trained 26 first responders in de-escalation, suicide prevention and responding to behavioral health emergencies
Santa Fe Fire Department officials say the change will improve resource allocation, but community health partners warn it reduces field medical capacity for behavioral health and homeless calls
The Anchorage Fire Department’s revived Community, Outreach, Referral and Education program pairs a clinician and paramedic to connect frequent callers with medical, mental health and substance use services at home
The San Rafael SAFE Team, a two-person mobile unit pairing a crisis counselor with an EMT, responds to 3,000 nonviolent calls annually, reducing ER visits
A 15-month pilot program will explore diverting non-violent, non-emergency calls in Iowa City and Johnson County, to trained field mediators
After a yearlong delay, City Council is set to vote Jan. 26 on creating a “care response” that dispatches clinicians with EMS to certain mental health emergencies
The Department of Health and Human Services confirmed that SAMHSA funding will be restored following backlash from grantees and lawmakers
A six-month Clark County Fire Department pilot using a paramedic, EMT, and social worker diverted 70% of behavioral health patients from emergency rooms and de-escalated 94% of crisis calls
A patient fleeing a medical hold fatally beat a hospital security guard at M Health Fairview Lakes Medical Center, leading to a second-degree murder charge and renewed concerns about workplace violence
Twelve psychiatric beds will reopen as part of Denver Health’s new Integrated Medical and Psychiatric Care Unit
Santa Monica’s new Advanced Provider Unit pairs a nurse practitioner with a firefighter/paramedic, freeing ambulances for critical emergencies and reducing unnecessary transports
Children’s Minnesota and the Washburn Center for Children are placing an acute response therapist in EDs, providing counseling and follow-up so kids in mental health crisis can leave the ED sooner
As Cleveland debates Tanisha’s Law, council sponsors are pointing to models in Albuquerque, Allegheny County, Durham and Evanston that dispatch behavioral-health teams
An EMS call in Bradley County escalated when a combative patient returned home and fired at law enforcement drones used for negotiation
City Hall will hand full control of the crisis response teams to NYC Health + Hospitals, raising questions about the future of mental health policing as a new administration takes office
Teams made up of EMTs, mental health professionals and peers would be stationed in 100 subway stations, focusing on engaging New Yorkers experiencing homelessness or mental distress
Great Lakes region ECCs lead adoption of new protocol to guide dispatchers in handling suicidal callers
End the burnout cycle with proven initiatives to create a more sustainable EMS culture
Monitoring AVPU and other vital signs will help determine if the patient is improving, worsening or responding to treatment
All three Champaign first responders sustained serious stab wounds and were transported for emergency treatment
Attorneys for 31-year-old Dontae Melton Jr. say officers restrained the man and waited nearly an hour for an ambulance that never came
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- White House reverses $2B cut to mental health, substance abuse grants
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- Use AVPU scale to determine a patient’s level of consciousness