A new Crisis Solutions Coalition meets for the first time Dec. 9 in a statewide effort to reduce the number of emergency room visits for those experiencing a mental health crisis.
At issue is a lack of alternatives for crisis treatment, which drives a growing number of patients in the state to hospital emergency departments or to jails.
In November, N.C. Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Aldona Wos announced the Crisis Solutions Initiative, which will work to ensure that individuals experiencing an acute mental health or substance abuse crisis receive timely specialized psychiatric treatment.
