Who's on the Team?
These professionals support individuals experiencing mental health or substance use challenges by drawing from their own recovery journey.
Who are peer support specialists?
In 2024, this state passed House Bill 622, which provides reimbursement to EMS for treating a Medicaid patient on scene, even if they are not transported, at a rate equal to Medicare's basic life support rate.
What is Vermont?
After a behavioral health crisis, this type of follow-up ensures that the individual connects with outpatient care or other services.
What is a warm handoff?
This three-letter acronym describes frontline responders who deliver urgent care and help bridge gaps in behavioral health systems.
What is EMS?
This joint federal-state program often covers EMS, mental health treatment, and mobile crisis services for low-income individuals.
What is Medicaid?
These frontline responders are trained in trauma care, CPR, and life-saving interventions and are often the first on scene for medical or behavioral emergencies.
Who are EMS clinicians?
In 2023, Senate Bill 799 authorized the department of health to share de-identified data to support opioid response efforts statewide.
What is Tennessee?
This community-based location offers short-term stabilization for individuals in crisis and is an alternative to ER or jail transport.
What is a crisis stabilization unit?
This evolving EMS-based model allows paramedics to provide non-emergency care and connect individuals to social services.
What is community paramedicine?
Many states use this kind of Medicaid waiver to fund community-based crisis programs not typically covered by traditional Medicaid.
What is a Section 1115 waiver?
These trusted community members often assist with care coordination, health education, and social service referrals, especially in underserved areas.
Who are community health workers?
This state created a Behavioral Health Crisis Response Committee, a subcommittee of their Behavioral Health Commission, to coordinate EMS, law enforcement, and health agencies.
What is Utah?
This term describes coordinated services that follow a person from initial crisis response through recovery and reintegration.
What is a continuum of care?
This term describes a team-based approach where EMS works alongside mental health professionals to respond to behavioral health crises.
What is a mobile crisis response team?
States often use this funding mechanism to pilot new EMS models, such as community paramedicine or treatment-in-place.
What are innovation grants or pilot program funds?
These EMS clinicians undergo additional training to deliver preventive and follow-up care in non-emergency settings.
Who are community paramedics?
In 2024, this state passed House Bill 5347 to establish a pathway for EMTs to become certified paramedics and provided funding for workforce development.
What is West Virginia?
Peer support specialists often play a key role in this phase, helping people with behavioral health needs engage in long-term treatment and recovery.
What is recovery support or peer-led recovery navigation?
In this state, a 2024 senate bill authorized ambulance services to transport patients to health care facilities other than emergency departments, including urgent care centers, rural health clinics, a physician office or medical clinic as selected by the patient and a behavioral or mental health care facility including a crisis stabilization unit.
What is West Virginia? (Senate Bill 533)
Administered by SAMHSA, this federal grant supported statewide planning and implementation for opioid crisis and behavioral health response.
What is the State Opioid Response (SOR) grant?
Often licensed as clinical social workers or counselors, these professionals are embedded in crisis response teams to assess mental health needs on scene.
Who are behavioral health clinicians?
In 2023, this state passed House Bill 1167 which expanded its Good Samaritan law to grant immunity from arrest or prosecution for certain drug offenses, including low-level fentanyl possession, if the person reports or seeks help for an overdose and meets specific cooperation requirements.
What is Colorado?
This type of care approach integrates physical health, mental health, and social services to improve outcomes and reduce repeat crises.
What is whole-person care or integrated care?
In 2021, this state created a grant program allowing nurses to triage 911 calls, helping divert non-emergency cases from EMS response.
What is Colorado (Senate Bill 156)
This form of alternative payment reimburses EMS providers based on value and outcomes rather than per-transport fees.
What is value-based payment or alternative payment model?