Rule 24-2-19.1 - Crisis Response ServicesA. Crisis Response is an intensive therapeutic service which allows for the assessment of and intervention in a mental health crisis. Crisis Response Services are provided to children/youth and adults who are experiencing a significant emotional/behavioral crisis in which the person's mental health and/or behavioral health needs exceed the person's resources (in the opinion of the mental health professional assessing the situation.) Trained Crisis Response personnel provide crisis stabilization directed toward preventing hospitalization. Employees must be able to triage and make appropriate clinical decisions, including assessing the need for inpatient services or less restrictive alternatives. Without Crisis Response intervention, the person experiencing the crisis may be inappropriately and unnecessarily placed in a jail, holding facility, hospital or inpatient treatment facility. (Crisis Response Services do not include the Crisis Intervention/Crisis Support Services provided through the ID/DD Waiver.)B. Crisis Response Services must be made available to the general public in every county/area served by agency providers certified by DMH to provide Crisis Response Services.C. Crisis Response Services must be available twenty-four (24) hours a day, seven (7) days a week, three hundred sixty-five (365) days a year. Crisis Response Services must have the capability to respond to multiple crisis calls at a time. Services include: 1. Designated crisis telephone numbers which covers the agency provider's entire catchment area. 2. "Walk-in" Crisis Response capability at all DMH-certified service locations in the agency provider's catchment area.D. The "on-call" Crisis Response personnel answering the designated crisis telephone numbers must:1. Ensure that a mental health representative is available to speak with a person in crisis and/or family member(s)/legal representative(s) of the person at all times.2. Ensure people or family member(s)/legal representative(s) of the person in crisis should only have to call a single time to the designated crisis numbers to request and receive assistance.E. Crisis Response Services must coordinate with DMH Office of Consumer Support and respond to crisis call referrals from DMH Office of Consumer Support generated from the DMH Help Line (1-877-210-8513) or any agency provider DMH contracts with to provide after-hours Help Line coverage.F. The agency provider must: 1. Ensure Crisis Response Services availability is publicized, including a listing in the telephone directories for each county served by the agency provider and on the homepage of the agency provider's website.2. Ensure the person speaks with a trained professional if an answering service is used after typical work hours (which are permissible). Automated answering devices are not permissible.3. Ensure the agency provider's toll-free number is provided to DMH Office of Consumer Support (1-877-210-8513).G. Complete an assessment of the person's risk and acuity using an assessment tool as required by DMH. The assessment will include, but not be limited to, current risk level related to suicide/homicide, substance use, mental status, current and past mental health diagnoses and treatment, coping skills and medical condition.H. Policies and procedures must be in place which detail how "walk-in" crisis situations will be handled by Crisis Response Services. The policies and procedures must be specific to each DMH-certified location in the agency provider's catchment area.I. Crisis Response Services must have access to medical and psychiatric support as needed twenty-four (24) hours a day, seven (7) days a week, three hundred sixty-five (365) days a year. Medical and psychiatric support can be provided through the use of telemedicine (i.e., computer tablet, laptop, etc.)J. Crisis Response Services must facilitate and verify formal initial assessment and therapy appointments, when the crisis situation subsides, with the mental health provider of the person's choice (if the person is able to remain in the community) utilizing the "warm handoff" method. A "warm handoff" is an approach to care transitions in which health care providers directly link people with typical service providers, using face-to-face or phone transfer. "Warm handoff" achieves very high rates of treatment enrollment for this vulnerable group.K. Crisis Response Services must follow-up daily and provide any necessary services to the person between the initial stabilization of the crisis and the initiation of typical therapeutic and psychiatric care.L. Recipients of Crisis Response Services do not have to be currently or previously enrolled in any of the services provided by the agency provider. Crisis Response Services may be provided to a person before he/she participates in the initial assessment that is part of the intake/admission process.M. All employees providing Crisis Response Services must obtain and maintain certification in a professionally recognized method of crisis intervention and de-escalation (Example: CPI, MANDT or Nonviolent Crisis Intervention).N. All Community Support Specialists and Peer Support Specialists providing Crisis Response Services must obtain nationally recognized training for specialized mental health crisis response/intervention training (i.e., Mental Health First Aid).O. All employees providing Crisis Response Services must obtain nationally recognized training for suicide prevention (i.e., Applied Suicide Intervention Skills Training).P. Crisis Response Services will provide training to all clinical co-workers regarding the development and implementation of Crisis Support Plans.Q. Crisis Response Coordinator must request to be a member of all adult and children's Multi-Disciplinary Assessment and Planning (Making A Plan) Teams in the agency provider's catchment area and attend meetings regularly. If there is no local adult or children's Making A Plan Team, the Crisis Coordinator is required to initiate the development of Making A Plan Teams within their catchment area. Section 41-4-7 of the Mississippi Code, 1972, as Amended