Crisis Intervention

Crisis Intervention is a confidential and free seven day/24 hour service, provided by Philhaven Hospital and funded through a contract between the County Commissioners and Philhaven Hospital. The service is licensed through the Department of Public Welfare. The service bills medical assistance for appropriate services.

This service is available to all persons in Lebanon County. To access Crisis Services, dial 274-3363.

Crisis counselors provide psychological assessment of crisis situations but can not provide psychiatric or psychological evaluations of individuals. For those services, an individual must contact MH/MR (274-3415) or a private provider. Crisis counselors do not provide legal advice of any sort.

Crisis counselors do not provide physical intervention under any circumstances.

Crisis services are voluntary. There are times a caller is concerned for another individual and wants CIIC to contact that person. Information regarding available county services can be provided to the caller as well as suggestions on how to handle that situation. Ordinarily, the caller will be instructed to have the person in need of services contact the Crisis Services directly.

There are times when the person in need of intervention does not want services, but is presenting as a danger to self and others, or has demonstrated an inability to care for self severe enough to lead to serious bodily harm. If that person's actions are the result of severe mental illness, the law provides for involuntary intervention. In these situations, a crisis counselor will perform as a mental health delegate.

SERVICES PROVIDED FOR LEBANON COUNTY:

Drug & Alcohol Commission 24/7 State Mandated Hotline:

• Arrangements for emergency detox services
• Backup for calls coming into D&A line when they are closed, and
• Emergency calls coming into Alcoholics Anonymous when their hotline is not covered. (Calls are forwarded by the answering service if they are an emergency.)

MH/MR 24/7 State Mandated Hotline for Crisis Intervention Services; 24/7 State Mandated MH Delegate services for MH/MR emergency services:

• Screen for ICM services for MH/MR (client calls crisis instead of ICM worker during on call hours) in addition, Crisis counselors follow these clients while in the ER and complete bed searches for these clients if a 302 commitment hospitalization is necessary
• Backup for call coming into MH/MR line when they are closed
• Supportive counseling for MH/MR chronic clients
• Attends hearings at Philhaven or VAMC when counselor serves as petitioner for commitments.

Housing Authority:

• Client calls Crisis instead of Housing for problems related to County run residencies,;CI then calls Housing Worker

Backup for:

• HARP - provides emergency housing during the on call hours
• HOPE - provides emergency material needs (transportation, fill Rx, refer for food, etc.) during on call hours

Crisis assessments of clients as requested for:

• AAA
• Children & Youth
• Probation
• LCCF - Prison

Crisis Intervention provides the following services for anyone in need in Lebanon County on a 24/7 basis:

• Assistance in personal or family crisis, including assistance in securing detox or psychiatric hospitalization if admission is appropriate
• 24/7 Hotline services, including supportive counseling as needed
• Face-to-face evaluation and assessment as requested to intervene or resolve a crisis situation
• Offers consultation services and acts as a resource/referral system schools, community agencies and physician offices regarding crisis situations
• On-site response into the community to assess a psychological emergency at the request of agencies, police, families or concerned persons, when appropriate
• On-site response to schools to assist in psychological emergencies as requested for those situations where the client does not have an MH/MR case manager