Research Symposium

BIO

Hi! My name is Toni and I'm from Hollywood, Florida. I'm a Biochemistry major with aspirations of becoming a physician. I am interested in emergency medicine and improving patient outcomes through research.

Developing a Tool for Improved Mental Health Crisis Response

Abstract

Police response to mental health crisis calls can lead to adverse outcomes. A crisis call is a call to an emergency service during an emergency inflicted by a mental health concern. This project aims to develop a simulation-based tool, which models the dynamic nature of police response based on user inputs to evaluate their system performance in different crisis response models. The tool aims to improve the planning of response to crisis calls and improve mental health outcomes. Ideally, it would prevent consequences such as unnecessary hospitalizations, arrests, or fatalities. A literature review of existing attempts to improve police response to mental health crises was conducted to improve understanding of the benefit of the simulation tool. Data visualization was used to interpret data from a Washington-based case study. A user interface for the tool is in development for the use of interaction by potential users. Based on our preliminary literature review, it is likely that the tool would improve mental health crisis call outcomes. Ideally, the tool would assist in deciding the most effective call response model. Future honing could mold the tool to specific community conditions as well as improve user interaction.

Keywords: Crisis Response, Simulation, Mental Health