Nevada HHS is using a $3.8 million grant to launch Virtual Crisis Care, a program providing law enforcement with 24/7 access to counselors when responding to mental health crisis calls, law enforcement news source Police1 reported July 7.
The program provides law enforcement with 11 iPads to be used by officers when responding to mental health-related calls.The officer can call a mental health crisis response team that will virtually conduct a safety assessment of the person in crisis in real-time, then connect that person to a mental health professional if necessary.
Nevada's program was modeled after the pilot Virtual Crisis Care program launched in South Dakota in January 2020.
The South Dakota program led to 75 percent of people experiencing a mental health crisis being taken to community-based care instead of jail, the Association of Health Care Journalists reported in 2021.