Address the needs of people with mental and substance use disorders and with histories of trauma wit
Objective 2.4.2 talks about the ability of first responders to respond appropriately to people with mental health and substance use problems and histories of trauma. Action step 1 talks about “partnering with criminal justice and law enforcement groups to expand the use of crisis intervention training and pre-booking diversion” and action step 2 aims to provide training and TA for first responders. Though it is very important that our criminal justice system and first responders better meet the needs of individuals who have experienced trauma, it is important to note that the types of strategies and interventions suggested would be a huge cultural shift for many criminal justice groups and first responders. The plan should include an action step to develop a plan to get criminal justice partners to buy into a philosophy that will best meet the needs of individuals with mental and substance use disorders and histories of trauma. Similarly, a step should be included to ensure buy-in from first responders around the training and technical assistance that they will be provided.
Bureau of Mental Health, NYCDOHMH
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2 comments
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Jedi M
commented
Part of the problem is the ASSUMPTION that trauma necessitates mental illness and life long disabilty and reliance on a broken system. People in this system do not heal or recover because the system itself is abusive and retramitizes people. These suggestions come from people who work in the system and buy into the notion that they are helping someone. They help themselves at the expense of vulnerable persons. ALL people experience trauma. Until we stop medicalizing it to create jobs for a massive part of the population who work in sick care, we will never find REAL solutions, just keep creating more pointless, recommendations and make work projects to keep the rooves over the heads of the people who 'work" there. Ask the users of these systems if anyone ever helped them. Whose NEEDS are you really addressing? People are KEPT in these systems for a reason- they make the ecomony go round.
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Jeff Dismukes
commented
Trauma specific services need to be expanded, along with other initiatives, to meet diverse needs. Prevention, early intervention, correct diagnosis and trauma specific treatment along with a trauma informed system of care are vital to reducing the impact of trauma on all populations and lessening the demand for other behavioral health services later in life.
