Behavioral health can affect how we see and understand situations. Protect DC works with individuals and health care providers to meet the needs of District residents to assess the risk of violence or serious harm and develop interventions for individuals experiencing a behavioral or emotional crisis.
Listed below are three ways of how communities can assist individuals who might benefit from behavioral health services.
Submit a Referral
Assist someone experiencing a behavioral or emotional crisis by notifying the Protect DC Team when sharing behavior or communication that may cause concern for violence to occur. Submitting a referral allows health care providers to intervene and provide necessary resources to reduce the likelihood of violent situations. Leave an anonymous referral here.
Participate in Training Opportunities
Community members are the first line of defense for identifying concerning behavior or communication. When the community understands what to look for and how to report, we can better support individuals and reduce violence. The Fundamentals of Behavioral Threat Assessment and Management course trains community partners and stakeholders on the indicators associated with targeted violence to enhance prevention efforts. For more information, contact us at [email protected].
Call the Access HelpLine
The Access HelpLine program assists District residents experiencing a behavioral or emotional crisis to receive emergency behavioral care and determine whether to seek ongoing behavioral health services. The program can also activate a mobile crisis team for residents who are unable or unwilling to travel to receive behavioral health services. The service is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week, by dialing 1(888) 7WE-HELP or 1(888) 793-4357.