MWH asessment center helps with mental-health crises

Nov. 15--These days, a suicide threat sometimes starts with a text, said Capt. Chris Giles of the King George County Sheriff's Office.

"It's becoming more and more prevalent," he said.

A friend or family member receives a disturbing message and calls the police, setting off a three-step process known as the emergency custody order.

A new Fredericksburg-based assessment center hopes to streamline the process for area law enforcement departments.

Evaluating and processing a person in the midst of a psychiatric crisis can take up to eight hours, and usually lasts at least four.

Last year, Virginia law enforcement officers handled 7,215 emergency custody orders, said Richard Bonnie, a professor of law and medicine at the University of Virginia.

King George County usually sees about five such cases a month, Giles said.

"These calls keep officers off the streets for four to eight hours," Giles said. "I'm losing a deputy off the road for longer than I'd like."

That lost time significantly impacts the department, he said. Four deputies patrol the county on a typical day, so the loss of one for eight hours could mean slower response time, less manpower for backup and overtime costs.

So Giles is grateful for a new effort that could slash the time a deputy is off the streets to just one hour.

The Crisis Assessment Center opened Sept. 1 in the emergency department of Mary Washington Hospital. Now, while the center is open, the deputy is off the streets for only the time it takes to get to the hospital.

The Rappahannock Area Community Services Board runs the center from 2 p.m. to midnight. During those hours, a room in the emergency department is dedicated to emergency psychiatric evaluations.

Through a grant, the Virginia Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services pays for a trained law enforcement officer to be in the room during operating hours, so a deputy can transfer custody of the person needing an assessment and get back to patrol.

The center benefits both the deputy and the person having a mental health emergency, said Michelle Minor, crisis intervention program manager for the RACSB.

"This is something that, in the long run, benefits the community as a whole," she said.

The center is an offshoot of the crisis intervention training offered to local law enforcement departments, first responders and the jail.

The officers who staff the center have received the week-long training that introduces officers to mental health issues, signs of crisis, community resources, medication information and ways to de-escalate situations should they arise.

During the training, officers tour the room at the jail that houses people on a suicide watch and visit the crisis assessment center.

The tour is planned to showcase the difference between the bright orange walls and chaotic environment of the jail and the soothing blue tones and peace of the room that is tucked away in the back of the emergency room, said Jacque Kobuchi, emergency services coordinator with the RACSB.

The room is off to the back, near a side entrance where officers can pull up to the door and escort a person straight to the room without passing anyone else.

"It's a discreet way to take them in," Miner said. "And it's a short trip if the person is combative."

So far, the center has been used about 60 times since opening Sept. 1.

And the center has helped get deputies back on the street faster, law enforcement officials said.

"This is a great idea and a long time in coming," said Capt. Jeff Pearce with the Spotsylvania County Sheriff's Office. "Our only complaint is that we wish we could have more than just one room available."

Several law enforcement officials have said they already see a need for the center to expand--to have more rooms and more hours.

"However, we understand that it's a matter of funding," Giles said.

Amy Flowers Umble: 540.735-1973

aumble@freelancestar.com

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