JSA Health Telepsychiatry, playing on its telepsychiatrists’ strength in crisis and emergency telepsychiatry, have begun providing coverage for the renowned San Antonio Adult Crisis Center. The Crisis Care Center is a ground breaking, free standing psychiatric emergency service which has an observation unit, mobile crisis outreach teams, and a crisis transitional unit.

JSA Health will provide morning rounds and evaluation of patients admitted to the Crisis Care Center overnight. JSA is please to be part of the Center for Health Care Services world renowned Jail Diversion Program though it’s participation at the Crisis Care Center.

From the Center for Health Care Services Website:

The Crisis Care Center

The Bexar County Jail Diversion program opened a new centrally located psychiatric Crisis Care Center operating 24/7 providing medical and mental health screenings. Averaging over 650 screenings per month this center began full operations with joint medical and psychiatric screening as of August 29, 2005. Within three months of operations the new Crisis Care Center reduced wait times for medical screenings for Law Enforcement Officers from nine (9) hours to 45 minutes and further reduced wait times for combined psychiatric and medical screenings from 12 hours to 65 minutes.

Working to strengthen the partnership between law enforcement and mental health our jail diversion program has established the Deputy Mobile Outreach Team partnering Sheriff Deputies with Mental Health Professionals for community crisis intervention, assessment and outreach. Additionally, specific training is conducted through an established Crisis Intervention Training Program in partnership with the San Antonio Police and Sheriff’s Office resulting in a community supported 40 hour CIT training cycle for local law enforcement.

Within the jail, early and preventive therapeutic intervention occurs through the establishment of the daily cross reference of local jail booking activity with local and state wide mental health data resulting in the identification of screening, assessment and treatment needs for inmates with prior state wide mental health indicators. Inmates have access to a special mental health docket addressing the special needs of the mentally ill inmate. Results have demonstrated a significant reduction in the re-arrest rate for of misdemeanor offenders.

Treatment beyond incarceration has been achieved through the implementation of 60 bed residential mental health jail “step down” program and a 200 bed drug abuse treatment facility in partnership with the Texas Probation Department. Additionally, the establishment of an “Involuntary Outpatient Commitment” program within Civil Probate Court has provided a vehicle to provide treatment to repeatedly come to the attention of the courts and who are in danger of deterioration. When comparing one year prior to program participation and one year post participation an initial review of the first 14 participants showed a 79% reduction in state hospital bed day utilization.

For more information on the Center for Health Care Services click here.