Crisis Response for Rural Communities: Using Technology and Peer Support to Meet People in Crisis, Where They Are

Rural communities can face many challenges in the development and delivery of crisis response programs for people with behavioral health conditions and intellectual and developmental disabilities, including wide geographic areas to serve, limitations in options for local treatment and social services, and resource constraints related to funding and staffing. Across the United States, rural communities have adapted best practices in crisis response to overcome these challenges and address the need for services in their jurisdiction by having mental health providers meet people in crisis where they are, either in-person or through telehealth services. These programs have shown that they can prevent the need for additional resources such as police and emergency medical services to respond to individuals in crisis and may enhance short- and long-term outcomes for these individuals.

Presented by the Department of Justice, Bureau of Justice Assistance’s Academic Training to Inform Police Responses Initiative, this webinar will feature two programs that have adapted crisis response for use in rural communities. Panelists will present the innovative approaches in crisis response implemented by their programs and discuss the challenges of ensuring the needs of individuals in crisis who live in rural communities are met. Additionally, the Academic Training project team will highlight key resources to support rural communities in their development and implementation of crisis response in their jurisdiction.

Preparation of this webinar is supported by Grant No. 2020-NT-BX-K001 awarded by the Bureau of Justice Assistance. The Bureau of Justice Assistance is a component of the Department of Justice’s Office of Justice Programs, which also includes the Bureau of Justice Statistics, the National Institute of Justice, the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, the Office for Victims of Crime, and the SMART Office. Points of view or opinions in this document are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the official positions or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.

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