Concerned about the general increase in assessments and documents, especially those needed the same day of service initiation for people in crisis, may delay helping de-escalate and solve the crisis. The added documentation is cumbersome in a system that has negatively tipped the balance where more time is spent in a chart than with an actual person/client because of regulations. Please continue considering streamlining whenever possible.
One suggestion would be to conduct practice runs of new documents through a test/role play scenario before implementing. Another is piloting them with a team in Virginia, whose regulations can differ from other states, keeping outcome data to see if new items/documents improve outcomes. It may be, for example, that the new training efforts related to mobile crisis (ones such as de-escalation techniques and racial equity) will produce better outcomes and appropriate placement than implementing a LOCUS.
Will training roll out for the LOCUS and CEPPs before Dec 1st? These take time to incorporate into electronic health records. Do we have all of the LOCUS levels of care available in our system?