Action | Mental Health Skill-building Services |
Stage | Final |
Comment Period | Ended on 7/27/2016 |
The Fairfax-Falls Church Community Services Board supports many of the issues with the Crisis Intervention changes other providers have posted. We wish to address the changes made to Crisis Intervention Services.
Qualified staff with contact with individuals in crisis are able to assess the length of time and number of visits it may take for an individual in crisis to stabilize. That period may be just one or two visits in 7 days, but may take two or three weeks to get sufficient information and supports in place. Containing the crisis is necessary to properly assess for the appropriate level of care.. The unreasonably short period of time a 7 day authorization allows invites inappropriate classification of an individual's treatment needs, with an unintended consequence that staff construct work-arounds that result in swift referrals to higher or lower levels of service that will be undermine effective service delivery, such as premature discharge, or hospitalizations that could have been avoided.
Thanks for the opportunity comment.