Ttbh-edinburg PD community crisis response program - tropical texas behavioral health (ttbh) is proposing to establish the ttbh-edinburg police department (PD) mental health unit (MHU) in edinburg,…

Ttbh-edinburg PD community crisis response program - tropical texas behavioral health (ttbh) is proposing to establish the ttbh-edinburg police department (PD) mental health unit (MHU) in edinburg, texas under the ttbh-edinburg PD community crisis response program. The goals of this program are to increase the capacity of mobile crisis response teams while expanding access in high-need communities; increase collaboration to improve crisis stabilization in the community for adults, children, and youth; and improve equity in the continuity of care and post-crisis follow-up, including for those with suicidal ideation and/or a previous suicide attempt. This program will also benfit individuals in crisis, who come in contact with law enforcement, who may be appropriate for diversion from the justice system and into routine behavioral health care services. Ttbh's target population are individuals residing in edinburg, texas in hidalgo county. Our service area is designated high-poverty areas or persisten-poverty county. Based on the U.S. Census bureau, hidalgo county's poverty rate was 41.9% in 1990, 35.9% in 2000 and 23.9% in 2020. Edinburg has a poverty with a rate of 22.6%, an average rate almost twice of texas at 13.4% and twice of the U.S. At 11.4%. The area is predominantly hispanic population at 87.7%. Our population rate of individuals without medical insurance is 26.7%, higher than texas at 20.8% and two and a half times higher than the U.S. At 10.2%. Challenges in our service area also includes identification as a medically underserved area (MUD ID 1489644651) and a health professional shortage area (hpsa ID 7481397026) for primary care, psychiatrist, psychologists, licensed professional counselors and licensed chemical dependency counselors by health resources and services administration (hrsa). The ttbh-edinburg PD MHU will be a community-based, ride along-respond service model targeting the delivery of immediate screening, assessment, and brief intensive intervention services to adults and adolescents who may be experiencing a mental health crisis. Collaboratively, the team will identify the best approach to assist the individuals with the least restrictive methods. The MHU will engage in evidence-based techniques to promote effective strategies by law enforcement to identiy and reduce the risk of harm to individuals with mental health crisis and to the public's safety. Ttbh will provide triage services to individuals 24 hours per day 7 days per week, including holidays, for the purpose of gathering information to determine the need for further assessment and immediate treatment. Triage services will be provided by a qualified mental health professional (qmhp), who has the capabilities to make appropriate clinical decisions to determine an appropriate course of action and to stabilize the situations as quickly as possible. The MHU intends to continue outreach efforts with community partners by forming a mental health alliance to identify resources to appropriately serve the community. If awarded, this will be the first collaborative crisis responder team developed with the edinburg P.D. Ttbh proposes to serve 500 persons (as referred by police department: service calls) with an indication of behavioral health needs per year for a total of 2,000 persons for the four years of this grant. We anticipate that 60% of those service calls maybe suicide/crisis incidents requiring screening and from those incidents 90% will require assessment and treatment. This program will adapt the goals to increase the capacity of mobile crisis response in our community, increase collaboration to improve crisis stabilization of individuals in our community and to improve equity. Crises follow up services are provided to individuals who are not in imminent danger of harm to self or others but require additional assistance to avoid reoccurrence of the crisis event.