5E06
MENTAL HEALTH EMERGENCY SERVICES COORDINATOR 1

This is full performance mental health work consulting, advising, and providing mental and behavioral health crisis and suicide intervention through crisis phone lines. Employees in this class provide a facilitative service to medical and mental health professionals, other city workers, and the general public on matters pertaining to mental health evaluations, commitments, treatments, referral services and other related areas to ensure operational compliance with legal mandates and statutes.

Significant aspects of the work include reviewing and evaluating mental and behavioral health crisis calls, and authorizing legal warrants for involuntary psychiatric evaluation and commitment requests. Work also involves developing resolutions for behavioral health emergencies, deploying resources and handling a variety of situations which may be deemed as a threat to life or public safety. Work is performed under the supervision of a technical superior.

• This position is responsible for consulting, advising, and providing mental and behavioral health crisis and suicide crisis intervention through public phone lines.
• This position is located in the Health Department.

• Acts as a delegate for the county administrator ensuring that actions of the public and professionals in the field are in accordance with established legal mandates, state law and the Office's policies and procedures; receives calls for emergency involuntary commitments and gives instructions for the proper procedure to be followed to effectuate the commitment process; reviews and evaluates petitions received from crisis response centers throughout the City; makes a clinical assessment of the patient's condition via telephone; approves or disapproves the request based on the assessment made and the stipulations set forth in the Mental Health Procedures Act; maintains records of all calls, petitions, and outcomes. Reviews and assigns documents from the treating authority when received.
• Assesses client clinical history from computer file or users of psychiatric emergency services for involuntary commitment cases or other prevailing situations; Uses the computer to enter involuntary commitments (302's); accesses client data base; makes preliminary recommendation for treatment; arranges sites for emergency psychiatric evaluations.
• Prioritizes and assesses behavioral health emergencies for appropriate action; prioritizes cases when multiple requests are received based on information gathered for each individual case; recommends appropriate service options and checks for availability; may dispatch a crisis specialist or a mobile emergency team if it is determined that immediate care is needed or further assessment is necessary; may recommend subsequent action following clinical diagnosis by emergency room psychiatrist based on client's prior history, present state, and available resources.
• Periodically visits crisis response centers to ensure that behavioral health emergency services are being provided as required; reports findings to superior; follows up with providers as required.
• Provides a referral and informational service when calls are received; interprets and explains Office policy and procedures, court proceedings, and the laws governing the commitment process when appropriate; may respond to other City Wide Crisis and Emergencies that require mental health and crisis intervention; may provide training to a wide variety of agencies and the public regarding services offered by the Acute Services Unit; may handle politically sensitive situations that may involve other City departments; may monitor crisis response centers; receives calls regarding missing persons and mentally disturbed homeless persons; assess and approves admission into a crisis residence.
• Receives calls regarding missing persons and mentally disturbed homeless persons; assesses and approves admission into a Crisis Residence; receives calls on the suicide and crisis intervention phone lines; attempts to determine the source of the problem; provides support to caller, informing him/her of available resources; tries to determine if suicide attempt has been initiated or if caller is in immediate danger of harm; tries to calm caller and to talk him/ her out of attempt; attempts to ascertain the location of the caller; may have call traced; occasionally contracts the Police Department to dispatch a squad car to the location if felt necessary.
• Performs related work as required.

KNOWLEDGE OF:
• the fundamental types of mental health illness and associated symptoms
• the functions and resources of public and private social, medical, and mental health agencies with emphasis on psychiatric emergency systems and other acute care mental health services
• the theories, principles, and techniques of working with people with emotional, mental and social problems
• the laws governing treatment and commitment of the mentally ill
• the basic policies and procedures governing psychiatric social services in clinics and hospitals
ABILITY TO:
• recognize symptoms of mental illness
• assess and interpret an individual's emotional and social problems and to make a sound evaluation and recommendation for a solution
• assemble, evaluate and interpret pertinent data and make sound recommendations based upon such information
• determine the need for commitment of individuals
• function under pressure and in stressful situations
• present ideas effectively both orally and in writing
• establish and maintain effective working relationships with individuals with emotional, mental and social problems and their families, as well as mental health and other involved workers

EDUCATION
• Completion of a master's degree program at an accredited college or university with major course work in psychology, nursing, sociology or social work.
AND
EXPERIENCE
• One year of counseling or administrative experience handling psychiatric emergencies which has included voluntary and involuntary psychiatric commitments.

OR

Any equivalent combination of education and experience determined to be acceptable by the Personnel Department, which has included the completion of a bachelor's degree as an educational minimum.

• Ability to physically perform the duties and to work in the environmental conditions required of a position in this class.