Lessons From an Interagency Coalition
Developing a Training Program for Acute Mental Health Crisis Response
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 21619355 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Jeff A Dennis (0000-0003-0264-3635, Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center, Lubbock, USA, corresponding author), Lisaann S Gittner (0000-0001-7407-828X, Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center, Lubbock, USA), Megan A Thoen (0000-0001-8420-8906, Texas Tech University, Lubbock, USA) |
| Year | 2026 |
| Volume | 42 |
| Issue | 3 |
| Pages | 522-532 |
| Publication date | 2026-08-01 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Journal of Contemporary Criminal Justice (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 1043-9862 • E-ISSN: 1552-5406 |
| Publisher | SAGE Publications (PUBLISHER • US) |
| DOI | 10.1177/10439862261448595 |
| OpenAlex | W7163215254 |
| Language | EN |
| References cited | 15 |
This study describes the development and evaluation of Better Together, a coalition between law enforcement, first responders, and health care organizations to develop an interagency training for managing justice-involved individuals with mental health issues. In the United States, calls to 9-1-1 and other crisis lines frequently dispatch law enforcement, first responders, and sometimes crisis intervention teams. As these individuals are assessed and managed during the response, they are taken into custody by law enforcement, transported for medical care, or released. A Department of Justice grant led to the facilitation of a collaborative to discuss how training in the various involved organizations aligns with complexities of these cases on the ground. An interagency training program was developed to clarify agency roles and improve cross-sector collaboration. Pretest, posttest, and 2-week follow-up assessments measured participant knowledge and understanding of agency roles. Overall scores improved significantly from pretest (63%) to posttest (76%, p p = .021). However, changes in leadership since the completion of the training have demonstrated the tenuous nature of keeping a collaboration of this nature sustainable
Crisis intervention · Economic Justice · Facilitation · Health care · Mental health · Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Research · Psychiatric care and mental health services · Psychopathy, Forensic Psychiatry, Sexual Offending
| Citation velocity | historical |
|---|---|
| Highly cited | No |