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MONTPELIER, Vt. (WCAX) – First responders throughout the state are working to learn different approaches to dealing with mental health crises.
An incident at the Burlington Waterfront Wednesday where a man was harming himself with a knife prompted a heavy police response. Police say he was having a mental health crisis and they used a bean-bag shotgun to subdue him. The 37-year-old was taken to the UVM Medical Center for treatment.
In Washington County, first responders are learning how to respond in similar situations. They are taking part in a five-day crisis intervention training course focused on responding to calls involving a mental health crisis.
The project, spearheaded by the Montpelier Police Department, aims to give emergency services the tools they need to respond effectively.
“We don’t want to be seen as the bad guys that come on scene. We want to be able to help people,” Montpelier Police Ofc. Alesha Donovan said.
Donovan says every situation is different and the goal isn’t about saying the right thing, but listening the right way.
“Like, ‘Hey, my name’s Alesha. I’m with the Montpelier police. What’s going on today? Can we just talk about it for a little bit? I see that you’re upset and that you’re a little frustrated.’ And just kind of go from there,” Donovan explained.
Others like Rebecca Goldfinger-Fein, who oversees the crisis intervention training, says de-escalation is the primary focus.
“Creating that space in response to let a person de-escalate and also assess what the needs truly are and how to best support them and trying to think wholistically about response,” Goldfinger-Fein said.
However, Donovan says in some cases force is necessary.
“Force is necessary in order to protect us as officers, protect fire and EMS… mental health if they’re on scene– and any sort of member of the public that might be standing by,” she said.
As part of their training on Thursday, trainees met with mental health care providers to learn about what services are available for people when they are called to intervene.
Organizers say although crisis intervention training was intended for law enforcement, they’re also training other first responders.
“There’s been an increasing emphasis on getting other first responders involved, like EMTs, to reduce the amount of law enforcement involvement in calls that involve mental health. And we also clarify what our roles are,” said Gary Gordon of Washington County Mental Health Services.
The training is funded through a $150,000 grant. Part of that funding will be used to hire a peer recovery coach to work alongside first responders.
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