Last June, Health Care and Rehabilitation Services (HCRS) initiated an important innovation in mental health crisis treatment when they opened Vermont's first Crisis Care Center in Springfield.
Typically, when a person is experiencing a mental health crisis, he or she must go to the local hospital's emergency room and a crisis screener is called in for an evaluation. Unfortunately, most ERs are overburdened with medical emergencies resulting in lengthy waits for mental health treatment, which adds a layer of additional stress to an already stressful event.
HCRS' Crisis Care Center offers a more affordable and client-friendly way to handle mental health crises. The Crisis Team specializes in treating adults, adolescents, and children struggling with an acute crisis such as suicidal or homicidal thoughts, feelings of being out of control or unsafe, and other types extreme emotional distress.
The crisis staff can provide referrals to counseling, psychiatric and substance abuse services, and inpatient psychiatric admission, based on the needs of the client.
While the Crisis Care Center treats a wide array of mental health issues, it is not a medical facility. Therefore, individuals in crisis who have serious medical issues, who have taken an overdose, or who are injured, should go to their nearest ER. In these instances, the ER staff will call for a crisis screener once the patient is medically stable.
In addition to being a cost effective and client friendly way to treat mental health crises, the Crisis Care Center substantially reduces wait times for clients in crisis. The typical client in the Crisis Care Center is seen within 15 minutes of arrival, and is usually ready to go in less than two hours.
The Crisis Care Center is located next door to HCRS' Headquarters in Springfield at 386 River St., and is open Monday through Friday, 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. It accepts walk-ins until 5:30 p.m. In the near future, HCRS intends to open a second Crisis Care Center in Brattleboro. If you or someone you know is in need of crisis services, call their 24-hour crisis hotline at 800-622-4235 to coordinate a screening.