If a situation with a worker who is clearly having mental issues escalates into a crisis in your workplace, you or another employee may have to call 911. But keep in mind that making this call is different from requesting assistance for a medical emergency. Is your workforce trained to properly handle the situation?
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Here are some critical tips from the National Alliance for Mental Health (NAMI), shared by BLR® with its permission, on what to do and say.
Why This Call Is Different
Herb Cotner wrote a blog for NAMI on calling 911 from a police officer’s perspective. Cotner is a 25-year veteran of the Dallas Police Department where he served as a Crisis Intervention Team (CIT) officer and is senior corporal of the Crisis Intervention Mental Health Liaison. He is currently vice president of NAMI Dallas.
Cotner says it is crucial to clearly inform the 911 dispatcher that the problem is related to mental health because officers often have very little time to discuss things when they arrive at your facility. Dispatchers will communicate all relevant information to the officers, so speak directly about the circumstances with your employee and answer the dispatcher’s questions.
This will allow the dispatcher, and therefore the officers, to have a better idea of the situation. If the police who arrive are not aware that a mental health crisis is occurring, they cannot handle the situation appropriately. Many communities have crisis intervention programs that train police officers to handle and respond safely to psychiatric crisis calls.
Cotner explains, “With more information about the situation, I would have more time to formulate a plan and think about the best way to properly handle the incident. I could do a much better job of keeping everyone safe, and that’s everyone’s main concern in a crisis situation.”
Determining Whether to Call
So, how do you determine when to place a 911 call? Bob Corolla, director of communications and public affairs for NAMI, told BLR that “calling 911 would not be appropriate unless a person were in crisis/distress or potentially violent.”
If the situation does not reach this level but a worker is exhibiting unusual or hostile behavior, the worker could be asked if they would feel better if they went home or if there is someone they want to have called to come and get them.
When You Call
However, if you do decide to make the 911 call, follow these steps from NAMI:
- Tell the dispatcher immediately, “This is a mental health call,” and that you have an employee (or person on-site) who may be experiencing a crisis.
- Share all the information you can with the 911 dispatcher.
- Report everything you see, and be very specific.
- If you have been told by the employee, explain to the police what you know of the employee’s mental health history.
In tomorrow’s Advisor, we present tips from NAMI on what to do when the police arrive, as well as further guidance on preparing for mental health crises.