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Shifting from Crisis Response to Crisis Prevention

Sarah Steverman, Elyse Yarmosky, Holly Swan, and Meg Chapman

White Paper

December 4, 2020

Communities typically use the conventional emergency response system to respond to calls that involve a behavioral health-related crisis (e.g., mental health, substance use, homelessness). An infrastructure designed to prevent and treat behavioral health concerns would minimize the occurrence of crises and the need for response. In this white paper, we provide a framework for communities seeking to shift their orientation from crisis response to crisis prevention by identifying incremental changes across multiple system components to build healthier communities.