ARETGroup

Caption: A 2022 review of mental health-related calls for service (CFS) in a rural Virginia region, reveals a 10% increase in call volume over three years, with the sharpest growth (47.6%) in rural townships. The review highlights the need for comprehensive local data systems mapping, noting that over 30% of mental health crisis calls were not reported in call type search.

A recent review of mental health-related calls for service (CFS) in a largely rural region in Virginia revealed a 10% overall regional increase in call volume over three years, with calls rising from 2,510 in FY 2019–2020 to 3,040 in FY 2021–2022. The study analyzed 10,693 emergency call center recorded calls between October 2019 and September 2022. 

Notably, mental health-related calls increased most significantly in rural townships, with an astounding 47.6% growth rate over three years. The rise in calls could not be attributed to population growth, as the region experienced a slight population decrease during the same period. Instead, trends confirmed broader national trends in increasing mental wellness instability, particularly in areas facing the greatest behavioral health resource strains and poorest access to care.

Data were also analyzed by call type, identifying over 27 distinct reasons for call initiation. Nearly 70% of calls were motivated by general mental health concerns. Within this grouping, reasons included general mental health concerns (32.4%), suicide threats or attempts (16.2%), emergency custody orders or temporary detention orders (11.5%), and welfare checks (8.5%).

Approximately 30% of calls were not initially coded as mental health. Instead, mental health issues were noted in call disposition or officer notes. Among these, a variety of primary call types were identified. If you manage or monitor mental health calls in your locality, you may be shocked by this finding. Without closer inspection of call disposition and officer notes, your locality may be missing up to 30% of mental health calls. 

Moreover, findings demonstrated that less than 1% of calls presented a safety threat to officers or citizens, and fewer than 3% resulted in arrest. This confirms that 95% or more of mental health calls—regardless of type—presented a low safety threat.

Key Practices for Improved Community Outcomes

Justice and law enforcement agencies can adopt the following five key practices to ensure better community outcomes for mental health-related calls:

1. Crisis Intervention Training (CIT): Expand CIT programs to equip officers with de-escalation skills. Regular refresher courses can help officers stay current on best practices for responding to mental health calls. Tracking CIT outcomes in the field ensures all mental health calls are captured. Where possible, invest in scaling up CIT officer data collection in the field. With quick reporting and referral tools, localities can ensure more cases are transitioned to behavioral health care. 
2. Collaboration with Behavioral Health Providers and Crisis Response Units: Strengthen local partnerships with mental health professionals to ensure trained specialists handle mental health crises, when possible.
3. Proactive Community Engagement: Work with community stakeholders to address mental health issues before they reach a crisis point. Strategies may include public education campaigns, wellness checks in partnership with community organizations, and creating safe spaces for individuals in crisis. This is particularly important in rural areas that may lack local drop-in, 24/7 outpatient, and assessment facilities. Inform the community about available resources, where to go, and who to contact during a crisis.
4. Enhanced Data Management and Compliance: Map behavioral health responses across Sequential Intercepts and assess local data systems to ensure appropriate data capture at every contact point. Compliant case management systems aid in tracking mental health cases and reviewing local call data to identify areas of need and behavioral patterns.

By adopting these practices, communities can improve their responses to mental health-related calls, reduce strain on officers, and foster community trust.

To learn more about ARETGroup Co-Responder technology solutions for law enforcement case management and call logging for specialized units, contact us today.