A comprehensive and coordinated continuum of behavioral health crisis services and supports is crucial for providing effective interventions to individuals with acute mental health and substance misuse needs. It is core to delivering services where and when they are most needed — serving as a backbone to a community-based system equipped to preserve life and well-being and to reduce reliance on avoidable acute and institutional care settings. Recognizing their essential role in the safety net, states have taken the initiative to build out these continua based largely on the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) National Guidelines for Behavioral Health Crisis Care.
To assist state officials in their strategic planning and program development, this resource guide offers insights from state innovations in building the array of crisis services and supports outlined in the national guidelines. The guide includes details on delivery and payment strategies, funding approaches, and establishing connections to community-based services and supports. It is important to note that these examples are not an exhaustive list of all the notable efforts undertaken by states to enhance the crisis continuum. Instead, they represent a snapshot of the ongoing work being done in this field. This resource is dynamic and will continuously showcase new examples as they emerge, reflecting the ever-evolving landscape of state initiatives.
Please note that this resource focuses primarily on the adult crisis continuum. The adult and child-serving systems differ in important ways, including by unique infrastructure, systems of care, and collaborative partners involved in child- and family-based interventions. Therefore, the continuum of care for children and youth requires separate consideration. For comprehensive guidelines on child and youth crisis care, we recommend referring to SAMHSA’s National Guidelines for Child and Youth Behavioral Health Crisis Care.
Acknowledgements
The National Academy for State Health Policy (NASHP) would like to thank Margie Balfour, Nora Bock, Becky Boss, Holly Fullmer, Andrew Medina, Anne Ngamsombat, and Angela Plunkett for their contributions to this work. This project is supported by the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) under grant number UD3OA22891, National Organizations of State and Local Officials. This information or content and conclusions are those of the authors and should not be construed as the official position or policy of, nor should any endorsements be inferred by, HRSA, HHS, or the U.S. government.