Mobile, Ala.-based AltaPointe Health added two mobile crisis vans to expand access to urgent mental healthcare.
The vehicles will enable trained clinicians — including therapists, nurses and case managers — to respond directly to people experiencing behavioral health emergencies in the community. The teams will provide on-site assessments, de-escalation and care coordination, according to a Jan. 28 news release. The vans are equipped for medication administration, minor medical care, telehealth and access to EMR access.
Crisis teams collaborate closely with hospitals, EMS, law enforcement and community partners to stabilize individuals in the least-restrictive setting and reduce unnecessary emergency room visits or police intervention.
The system’s crisis response teams had previously used personal vehicles since launching in 2012, according to the release.
“If we can go out and prevent somebody from going to an ER for a nonmedical issue or even a minor medical issue that we can handle, that also saves taxpayers millions of dollars a year in unnecessary transports and emergency response,” Cindy Gipson, PhD, AltaPointe’s director of crisis and justice-involved services said in the release.
AltaPointe Health provides more than 1 million services annually to 45,000 patients across Alabama. The organization operates two psychiatric hospitals, a behavioral health crisis center, 22 outpatient behavioral clinics, and Accordia Health, a federally qualified health center with six sites.
