The latest tool to help police better respond and react to emergencies is coming in the form of a small plastic bracelet that could make a big difference in identifying people living with mental health conditions.
The York County Crisis Intervention Team is debuting wristbands that can be worn by people living with mental health conditions so that if a police officer must respond to a crisis, they can immediately identify that person as possibly needing a mental health professional or other specialized care. Officers who wear the bracelet can also be identified as those who have undergone crisis intervention training. That CIT training includes conversations with people who live with mental health conditions. So far, 161 officers in York County have completed it.
York County officials, mental health professionals, and officers hope the wristbands can help de-escalate a crisis situation and quickly form a bond between the officer and the person whom they are responding to.
The York County Crisis Intervention Team said the wristbands are a response to an inquiry from law enforcement officers who asked if there was something that people with a mental health condition could wear that would identify them to an emergency responder when responding to a call. The bracelets are similar to health alert bracelets that let responders know of someone's diagnoses such as diabetes or allergies. York County President Julie Wheeler said the county decided to adopt the model after an organization in Georgia, Mental Health Alert Wristbands Inc., had already started the concept.
The wristbands will be available for anyone who wants one at York Hospital and UPMC. As more wristbands become available, more mental health professionals will get them.
You can also call the National Alliance on Mental Illness York-Adams County PA at 717-848-3784. Nearly 5,000 wristbands will be distributed in the first round of delivery.