11th Circuit Crisis Response Conference

Moving America’s Soul on Suicide

Suicide touches all of us. It can happen to anyone and the lives of those who have come close give us a tremendous look inside. Hear stories of intolerable pain and the possibility of hope and recovery. This workshop will feature excerpts from the documentary “Moving America’s Soul on Suicide,” what responders, clinicians, and communities can do to address suicide, and how behavioral health crises are handled globally. 

Compassionate Legislation: Georgia Legislative Updates

Topic presented by Kevin Tanner, Commissioner of the Georgia Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities.

Human Trafficking: Compassion Without Compromise

This workshop will provide attendees with a human trafficking overview including vulnerabilities, manipulations, and digital footprint.

Co-Responder Team Practices, Challenges, Successes: Two States, One Goal

Attendees will gain knowledge of Devereux’s Mobile Crisis Teams in Central Florida, including an overview of youth mobile crisis services, and the Behavioral Health Response Unit, a co-responder unit with the Orange County Sheriff’s Office. This workshop will provide participants with information relevant to establishing policies and procedures established by the Athens-Clarke County Police Department’s Behavioral Health Unit, including considerations and job responsibilities, and working with outside agencies and partners. The workshop will include information on the evolution of both programs, best practices, challenges, and success stories.

Veterans: Surviving on the Streets

The homeless veteran community in Georgia continues to rise after multiple years of stagnation. Why are so many veterans homeless, and how are they surviving on the streets? We will examine the veteran and military makeup of Georgia, define both challenges and solutions veterans encounter when homeless or at risk of homelessness, and key components for safety and dignity for both first responders and veterans during an encounter. Attendees will be able to discuss veteran composition in Georgia, challenges and solutions for interaction with homeless veterans, and resources within Georgia communities. 

Addressing Hunger One Card at a Time

This workshop will share the innovation work of Street Charity to address the hunger needs of those living on the streets and soliciting persons for money. We will explain how the program was developed, how it works, and how law enforcement and other community members can receive Street Charity cards for use with individuals that they encounter in the course of their work who are hungry or food insecure. The workshop will allow brainstorming on other ways that Street Charity cards can be used to serve other individuals who are not homeless (like children), but food insecure nonetheless. 

Health and Wellbeing Initiatives for Georgia’s First Responders

The Center for the Advancement of Military and Emergency Services (AMES) Research at Kennesaw State University is a nationally focused, academic research center and the only first responder behavioral health-oriented research agency in Georgia. During this presentation, AMES investigators will present post-COVID organizational health data and trends in first responders health from 30 separate Georgia based agencies. 

Youth Gangs and Trauma: If it is Predictable, It is Preventable

“If it is Predictable, It is Preventable” is a block of instruction that focuses on prevention rather than a response. By exploring the use of evidence-based tools, all levels of professionals will learn about the need to study risk factors when designing and implementing prevention and intervention strategies to combat the rise in youth crime.

MindSet (School) Safety Management De-escalation Training Overview

This session serves as an overview of the MindSet Safety Management Program which is being trained in the vast majority of school districts throughout the state of Georgia. MindSet training has taken place in schools for twenty-five years. The program is also employed in behavioral health and foster care settings in Georgia and Alabama. It is recognized as a nationally benchmarked program for emergency safety intervention training. The objective is to familiarize officers with the tenets, principles, and practical strategies embedded in the curriculum to assist in your understanding of how this curriculum has shaped our crisis response strategies.

Office of Public Safety Support: Mental Health Support for First Responders

This workshop will feature an overview of the Office of Public Safety Support, and the services it provides to Georgia’s first responder community. 

Introducing Valor Station – Behavioral Health Facility for First Responders

Valor Station is an exclusive behavioral health and substance abuse treatment facility for first responders in Augusta, GA with plans to open in 2024. The primary goals of Valor Station are:

• Raise awareness and provide the best care for first responders suffering from PTSD.
• Help reduce the stigma associated with seeking help among first responders.
• Advocating for systemic changes within first responder agencies can have a significant impact on the well-being of public safety personnel. By showcasing positive treatment results and demonstrating how these interventions help individuals return to duty equipped with the necessary tools to maintain their physical and emotional health, we can effectively combat burnout among first responders. This proactive approach not only benefits the individuals directly involved but also contributes to creating a more sustainable and supportive work environment within these agencies.

Financial Resiliency

Unfortunately, financial education has not kept pace with the rising need for knowledge. In this presentation, attendees will have many takeaways that aspire them to be better prepared and financially resilient. Presenters will share real examples and current resources related directly to issues with personal finance. Financial resiliency is a challenge and can also be compounded by one of the biggest stressors in our personal lives today: financial uncertainty. Just as mental and physical wellness on the job is important, financial wellness is equally important. Participants will learning the following: How True Wellness Changes Lives, Addressing Uncertainty, Understanding Financial Literacy, Financial Wellness and Financial Resiliency, Financial Regrets, Reducing or Eliminating Debt – Time, Commitment and Cost, and Capital Resources that increase Financial Literacy.

L.E.A.P. (Listen Empathize Agree Partner)

LEAP is a set of evidence-based practices that create therapeutic alliances and trusting relationship with people suffering from severe mental illness. Designed to build and strengthen mutual respect, it helps people who are non-adherent, or partially adherent, to become more cooperative and engaged in treatment and services, including medication, psychotherapy, psychosocial programs, club houses, peer-support, and supervised housing. The mission of the LEAP Institute is to transform the healthcare, educational, and government systems by providing evidence-based education, training, and ongoing support to individuals and organizations involved in the care and safety of people suffering from severe mental illness, including Mental Health Professionals, Criminal Justice Professionals, Peer Support Specialists, and Family Caregivers.

14th Amendment: What Co-responder Teams and Their Executives Need to Know

This workshop will cover the pertinent aspects of the U.S. Constitution and how it applies to law enforcement officials and behavioral health personnel involved in the process of assisting an individual to care during a behavioral health crisis, whether its voluntary or involuntary. “Voluntary commitment” refers to the act or practice of choosing to admit oneself to a psychiatric society or other mental health facility. “Involuntary commitment” can refer to the forced hospitalization of persons in serious behavioral health crisis. While the process is generally governed by state law, it can implicate constitutional concerns under the 4th and 14th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution. The 14th Amendment specifically is interpreted by the courts to provide both procedure and substantive due process protections for persons subject to involuntary commitments. Attendees will learn what these processes can mean for them, their agencies, and those they serve.

988 Suicide and Crisis Line – Two Years in Review

Topic presented by Jill D. Mays, Division Director for Crisis System Transformation for the 988 & Behavioral Health Crisis Coordinating Office at the Substance Abuse Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA).

Georgia’s 988 Implementation

In this workshop, participants will get an overview of Georgia’s 988 Implementation prior to and since the rollout of 988 in July 2022. The workshop will provide information about Georgia’s Crisis System which include “Some to Call,” Someone to Respond,” and “A Safe Place for Help.” Data related to 988 utilization and use downstream crisis services will be shared. Updates related to marketing, outreach, and new features will be provided. 

Opening Doors to Recovery (ODR)

This workshop will highlight the Opening Doors to Recovery (ODR) program, its genesis, goals and successes. Opening Doors to Recovery is a response to overall challenges of recidivism in jails and hospitals and increased hospital visits due to participant’s unique challenges such as: severe and persistent mental illness, substance use disorder, comorbidity. Participants are supported by Community Navigation Specialists (CNS) who assist in moving them towards recovery. With a focus on four pillars of recovery (adequate treatment, safe and appropriate housing, a meaningful day, and access to technology to connect with community resources and circle of support), participants work to achieve goals that are considered basic needs of recovery. Through an integrated approached, the ODR team generates interest among community partners where consistent communication and exchange of needed information is available each time a participant is encountered by law enforcement and other public safety professionals. The team then responds with a plan of action to create a diversion from the deep end.

Accountability Courts: Treatment and Recovery Alternatives to Sentencing 

Accountability Courts are criminal justice reform initiatives that offer alternatives to sentencing and incarceration for offenders through superior, state, misdemeanor, or juvenile courts. Courts can specialize in a variety of specific issues, like mental health, substance use, and veterans, and can provide programs for treatment and support. This workshop will provide a macro and micro view of the functions of Accountability Courts nationally, and locally, and how courts partner with law enforcement, behavioral health providers, and other community partners.

Strengthening Community Resilience

This workshop will enlighten participants about the power of recovery, from a state and local perspective. Participants will learn the role of Recovery Community Organizations (RCOs), within the context of advocacy, training and education (including forensic work inside jails), and direct peer support services (PRSS).

Building Better Outcomes (For Alabama’s Children)

This workshop will provide a look at how specific initiatives of the Alabama Department of Human Resources can lead to better collaboration and improved outcomes for children and families. Participants will learn about some policy and practice highlights from Alabama, developed to support the wellbeing of children, to include decentralized intake, differential response systems for child warfare, vetting of potential placement resources (including utilizing law enforcement partners), kinship resources and college incentives. 

Make Your Response, the Right Response: Approaching Alzheimer’s First Responder Training

As the Alzheimer’s disease continues to grow, it is critical for first responders to be prepared when responding to calls related to citizens with the disease. Understanding the disease key to ensuring the right decision is made. People with Alzheimer’s and other dementias can unknowingly put themselves and others at risks. In this workshop, participants will learn about frequently encountered situations, interaction techniques, wandering, driving, search and rescue techniques, resources, and how to respond to crisis. 

Family Advocates – The Missing Link

This workshop will explore the value and necessity of family connections during crisis, stabilization, and recovery. Participants will also learn the role advocates play in moving the needle on behavioral health policy, education, support, and outreach.

A Trauma Hospital – Engaging Patients in Treatment for Opioid Use Disorder

This workshop will discuss factors that impact patient engagement in treatment for opioid use disorder, including: stigma (with medical staff and patients), medication for opioid use disorder, psychotherapy, social determinants, and core issues underlying opioid use. The workshop will identify ways to address these issues when managing individual patients, and explore ways to address them when interacting with legal/health systems, including utilizing peers in recovery with lived experience.

Lessons Learned from University of Florida PD Co-responder Team

Learn smoother processes from the University of Florida Police Department co-responder team. From how we collect statistics, the orientation of team members, to crisis response on a large university’s campus and the policies and procedures that impact the team. The UFPD team has a unique make-up since clinicians are embedded at the police department and routinely work with 4 officers, and each officer works with 1-2 clinicians depending on their shift.
Objectives:

• Participants will learn the day-to-day of crisis response on a large college campus from a co-responder team perspective.
• Participants will learn practical steps to facilitate the orientation process for clinicians and law enforcement co-responder team members by viewing University of Florida Police Department’s current “manual” and tips to build their own.
• Participants will learn why it is important to talk through “what ifs” with each partner you ride with. Each officer and clinician may have a different mindset, and having these discussions are helpful to getting to know your partner(s). Participants will walk away with 10+ questions suggested for all officers and clinicians to discuss.

Utilizing Drones in Search and Rescue

Topic presented by Chuck Odom with the Georgia Public Safety Training Center.

The Road to Recovery in Duval County, Florida

This workshop will feature community based strategies and partnerships for addressing and reversing overdose trends in Duval County, FL. Workshop participants will hear how the FL Department of Public Health uses a collaborative approach to overdose prevention and intervention by working effectively with community based organizations.

Alabama: Pilot Sight for De-Institutionalization

Alabama’s role in what is now known as de-institutionalization is a little known fact. The crucial role of a local judge not only raised awareness of the injustices experienced by mental health patients in Alabama, but influenced legislation that would lead a national movement toward de-institutionalization, acknowledging the rights of hospitalized individuals, and establishing community based treatment models.