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Monday, December 25, 2006

New service targets mental health-related crises
By David Wenner
Of The Patriot-News

When someone has a mental health crisis, the situation is often delicate and sometimes deadly.

A fatal case occurred in 2000, when Ryan Schorr was shot dead by police inside his West Shore home.

Schorr, normally an easy-going and pleasant 25-year-old, had stopped taking medication for bipolar disorder and became aggressive.

A mobile crisis intervention service, launched recently in Cumberland and Perry counties, marks another step toward preventing such tragedies. Dauphin and York counties have mobile services; Lebanon County doesn’t.

The service involves two full-time workers who specialize in dealing with mentally unstable people, such as those who have stopped taking medication or become suicidal or violent.

Local crisis centers have such workers, but they aren’t always available to accompany police to a scene.

The new workers are fully devoted to mobile crisis work and can respond more quickly, said Steve Bucciferro, director of behavioral health services at Holy Spirit Hospital.

“It’s a good start and it should make a difference,” said Susan Schorr, Ryan Schorr’s mother.

Taylor Andrews, a board member for the Cumberland and Perry chapter of NAMI Pennsylvania, said: “This meets a very real need and I applaud the counties for taking this step.”

Before, people dealing with severe mental health problems had to go to a crisis center for evaluation. But mental illness can make people unwilling or unable to go.

Now those evaluations, and decisions on issues such as the need for hospitalization, can be made at the person’s home, or places such as their doctor’s or pastor’s office.

Another goal is to reach people early, when there’s a better chance of diffusing a situation and stabilizing the person, maybe without the need for hospitalization, Bucciferro said.

When the mobile crisis workers aren’t responding to calls, they meet with police, clergy and other organizations to discuss the warning signs that someone may be headed toward crisis.

The hope is that by raising awareness of warning signs and of the availability of the mobile service, people can be helped before they reach crisis, Bucciferro said.

Holy Spirit Hospital is providing the service under a contract with Cumberland and Perry counties. The two counties collaborate to provide mental health services.

In 2001, a Cumberland County grand jury concluded police were justified in shooting Schorr. But it also concluded that more could be done to prevent such situations.

After the report, mental health workers began training local police officers to better handle such situations. When possible, crisis workers have accompanied police to calls involving mental illness.

The mobile service expands on that, Bucciferro said.

“I don’t think we’ll ever eliminate [crises], but I think we’ll definitely reduce it by being out there ahead of time. ... We’re going to help people get help sooner,” he said.

The mobile crisis workers, who will work separate shifts, will be available on weekdays from 7 a.m. until 11 p.m. When they’re off, crisis center workers will respond, Bucciferro said.

Andrews said his only concern is whether two mobile workers will be enough.

In the past, crisis outreach has been more available in the eastern part of Cumberland than in the western part, and parts of Perry, he noted.

Susan Schorr, who won a civil lawsuit over her son’s death, said her goal was to force police departments to train officers to handle situations involving people with mental illness.

She said she won’t be satisfied until all police in Pennsylvania have such training.

“Cumberland and Perry have come a long way. Even Harrisburg police have training now because of my son’s death,” Schorr said. “I see a lot of good has come out of my son’s death.”

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