BUFFALO, N.Y. — Jessica Pirro from Crisis Services joined 2 On Your Side's Kelly Dudzik on Monday's Town Hall. You can read the full interview below.
Dudzik: "Mental health issues are once again top of mind for people after what happened this weekend in Buffalo, so remind the community what kind of services you offer for people."
Pirro: "Well, Crisis Services is the 24-hour crisis services center for Erie County, so we have staff readily available 24/7 to provide hotline service support. So if somebody needs to call in, just needs some supportive counseling or intervention - or just guidance on what to do with a situation, our hotline counselors are here 24/7.
"But specifically in response to this weekend, one of the other pieces to remember is that we are the designated emergency mobile outreach program for the county. And what that means is that we have trained mental health professionals on schedule 24/7, and they — all they do day in and day out is responding to mental health crisis situations in the community. So, that could be somebody who is mentally ill, who might be having a crisis, could be somebody who is suicidal, it could be various things that might incur a crisis situation. So we really want people to remember that there are trained professionals available through Crisis Services.
"Our mobile program has been up and running since 1980, so we are really experts in crisis intervention response. We do work hand-in-hand at times with law enforcement, and other providers in the community, depending on the situation that's presented to us, but we really help to try to navigate the crisis with the individual. And our goal is to keep them safely in the community, to divert them from unnecessary hospitalization, as well as unnecessary jail that might result from an incident that occurs in the community."
Dudzik: "If somebody's out and about, and they happen upon a situation like what happened Saturday, what should they do if they find somebody who is in crisis?"
Pirro: "They can call Crisis Services' 24 hour hotline which is 834-3131 and just kind of share what they are witnessing, what they're seeing, and the counselor will help them evaluate what the best response is.
"Now, our goal is to provide the mobile response services any time we can, but if there is a heightened risk situation that is presented to us, we at times do have to have law enforcement involvement. But I will say that in our mobile outreach program, only about less than 40-percent of the calls that we respond to have any touch with law enforcement.
"So our work is really done community-based, working with people in their homes, at their place of business, or even out on the street if there's a situation occurring, to try to deescalate the situation and really navigate that crisis situation back into the behavioral health system, so that person gets wrapped with the proper services to help them stay safe, but also connect with the needed treatment that the might need."
Dudzik: "And, if somebody is having an issue, do you suggest they call 911, or should they have your number kind of in their phone on speed dial and that's something everybody should have so they would call you first, or is it a judgment call? What should people do?"
Pirro: "You know, that's a great question because it is a judgment call depending on the crisis that you're speaking of. So, we are very conditioned to call 911 in an emergency. That's what 911 is for. But, I think when it comes to a mental health situation, depending on the level of crisis the person is in, and depending on the risk.
"So obviously if somebody is a real harm to themselves, or others, if they're armed or weapons are involved, if there's other things where there could potentially be a need for law enforcement, we would want 911 to be called, but to call us as well. Because we can also respond to the scene, help law enforcement, if they don't call us directly, and really try to help navigate what's in the best interest for that person.
"Now, I will say that law enforcement here in Erie County works very collaboratively with Crisis Services on a regular basis, but there are times that we don't get contacted, and this is a situation over the weekend that that's an example of."
Dudzik: "Are there any services, in your opinion, that the county lacks right now where if you had all the funding in the world, what would be on your wish list? And, is there something that you would like law enforcement to do differently? Like you just mentioned, you weren't contacted this weekend when this was happening."
Pirro: "I think our wish list is to be able to expand our emergency mobile response services so that we have more staff that are available. This is a 24-hour service, and were running on a staffing of about 22 people. And so, for all of Erie County, not just the City of Buffalo. So one of the things we would love to see is really an evaluation of the need and looking at the call volume across the county, what the response time should be based on the crisis situation that's presented, and assuring the proper mental health professional staffing is available to respond to those situations.
"But the other things that we're looking at, and specifically even looking at this particular incident from the weekend, is also to take a couple steps back and also evaluate how the call came into dispatch. What are things there that could be done differently? And that's one of the initiatives we're also looking at is to see how can we divert unnecessary calls through 911 to the crisis hotline where the mental health professionals who are the experts in dealing with this day in and day out 24/7 can help manage that call and maybe deescalate it from needing that higher level of emergency response such as law enforcement."
Dudzik: "And, before we go, what is the hotline so that we can give it to people so that they have it in case they need it?"
Pirro: "Yeah, the 24-hour crisis hotline is 834-3131, and as you mentioned, I think having it in your phone and having it readily available can really help save many people in our community. And we really encourage people to call us, and consult with us, and let us help make the best decision for people with mental health conditions in our community."
Dudzik: "Good info, important info, Jessica, thank you so much for joining us today on our Town Hall."
Pirro: "Thank you for having me."