Who
- Emergency Medical Services Medical Directors Association of California (EMDAC)
- Sacramento County Emergency Medical Services Agency (SCEMSA)
- Stanislaus County Emergency Medical Services Agency (StanEMSA)
What
EMDAC met on June 18 to discuss a recent development in which many law enforcement agencies have stopped responding to calls that involve people in behavioral health crisis unless a crime is occurring. Sacramento and Stanislaus counties were highlighted for their different approaches to this change in law enforcement protocols:
- To address concerns about emergency medical services (EMS) provider safety now that the sheriff’s department will not help secure the scene, SCEMSA has created a policy under which EMS crews can leave such calls without intervening in order to protect the crews and maintain operational efficiency.
- StanEMSA has employed a different tactic, relying on a newly created third option for public response to behavioral health calls: mobile crisis response teams consisting of a behavioral health technician, peer support counselor, and substance use counselor. These teams are an alternative to law enforcement or EMS response; they provide hands-off support and may use discretion to leave a dangerous scene and return when the situation is safer.
Takeaway/Next Steps
Flexible policies that allow for provider discretion are helping protect first responders’ safety and free them up to respond to other calls. However, protecting public safety providers can in advertently jeopardize patients as those experiencing a dangerous crisis may still present a danger to themselves or others; the need for law enforcement de-escalation training remains.
Contact
RVP Brian Jensen at bjensen@hospitalcouncil.org