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MCES' three-day Crisis Intervention Specialist training provides law enforcement and criminal justice personnel tools to help them work with individuals in a mental health crisis.
The training was one of the first of its kind in the country and is nationally recognized. Police officers from many local departments attend the training. Linda Finarelli of Montgomery Newspapers recently wrote about the Upper Dublin Township Police Department's experience with the training.
Upper Dublin trains officers in crisis intervention
by Linda Finarelli
Upper Dublin police responded to 101 calls last year that had "a component of a mental health issue." As of the end of April, officers had responded to almost half as many — 49 "significant enough" to be assigned the designation in the police records, according to Patrol Commander Darren Nyce.
To ensure officers understand how to deal with situations in which mental health issues become a factor, all Upper Dublin officers will have received crisis intervention specialist training by the end of this year, said Nyce, who set that as a goal for 2013.
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The 19th annual MCES Lecture Series kicks off on May 30 with two sessions addressing suicide.
The lectures are intended to decrease the stigma of mental illness, promote an understanding of what behavioral health can offer and foster personal growth. All lectures are held at MCES.
Tony Salvatore will begin the series with "A Rising Tide: Baby Boomers and Suicide Risk" on May 30 at 8:30 a.m. Later that day, Tony will be joined by Donald Kline, PhD to present "Suicide by Proxy."
Lectures are open to the community. Registration is required.
Click here for the full 2013 Lecture Series and for registration information.
MCES is currently recruiting for several part-time Psychiatric Technician positions for the weekends on the 3 p.m. to 11 p.m. and the 11 p.m. to 7 a.m. shifts.
A Psychiatric Technician is a member of the hospital's multidisciplinary staff and is responsible for assisting a Registered Nurse in providing primary care A minimum of a Bachelor's degree in the human service field or 3 years of direct clinical experience or a combination of clinical experience and education is required.
If you are interested in applying, please email your resume to Kmossop@mces.org.
The New York Times reported over the weekend that legislation addressing mental illness is advancing in Washington. The Times story says the effort has bipartisan support.
Click here to read more: "In Gun Debate, No Rift on Better Care for Mentally Ill"
Montgomery County Emergency Service (MCES) has been fully reaccredited by The Joint Commission (TJC), a nationally recognized health care accrediting body.
MCES was given a rigorous, comprehensive and unannounced on-site survey by a team of TJC Surveyors that evaluated the inpatient facility and its Crisis Residential Program (CRP) for compliance with standards of care applicable to hospitals as well as to the needs of behavioral health patients.
"Our staff and Board of Directors are committed to providing effective, safe, high-quality behavioral health care to Montgomery County and all of the communities that we serve," said Rocio Nell, MD, CPE, MCES's CEO/Medical Director. "Our Joint Commission accreditation acknowledges our commitment."
The Joint Commission (TJC) promotes improved health care for the public by evaluating hospitals and other health care organizations to assure safe and effective care. TJC (formerly JCAHO) has accredited hospitals for more than 60 years and currently accredits over 4000 hospitals nationally.
TJC evaluates MCES every three years. MCES is also surveyed annually by the Pennsylvania Departments of Health and Public Welfare.