Crisis Response
Crisis Response

Crisis Response

Riverview Center for Growth manages Lane County’s crisis response program, which provides support and help when a child or teen is experiencing a mental health crisis. Many crisis calls are successfully resolved over the phone. Sometimes, however, a crisis requires more involvement. In those cases, a professional crisis response team is available for on-site interventions.

Youth or caregivers in Lane County can call the crisis response line 24-hours a day, 365 days a year: 1-888-989-9990.

A mental health crisis may include violence, aggression, severe depression, out-of-control behavior, or mental health issues that cause immediate concern for the safety of the child, teen or family members.

If a child or teen is already receiving mental health services, caregivers are asked to first contact the child’s therapist, their agency after-hours crisis number, their caseworker or the caseworker’s Department of Human Services (DHS) emergency number. Otherwise, call the crisis response line.

For immediate help for a potentially life-threatening situation, call 911. Potentially life-threatening situations include violence toward oneself or others, if there are urgent medical or medication issues, or current domestic violence or child abuse.

Your call will connect you to a crisis worker, day or night. You will be asked to describe the situation, then a crisis worker will try to help stabilize the situation, restore safety in the home and create a short-term plan.

Many crisis calls are successfully resolved over the phone. Sometimes, however, a crisis requires more involvement. In those cases, a professional crisis response team is available for on-site interventions.

Information and referrals will also be offered. If requested, crisis workers can provide follow-up calls within the next day or two.

Situations sometimes require more intensive intervention. If so, a crisis response team can be sent to the location with the caregiver’s permission, usually within an hour of the call; responding to outlying areas may take longer. A legal guardian must be present for on-site intervention.

Crisis response teams of two or more crisis workers can provide crisis intervention services on site at a home, in public places, or in conjunction with police or emergency service involvement.

Crisis response teams attempt to arrive within an hour of the call; however, responding to outlying communities may increase response time. Crisis workers will estimate how much time it will take to arrive and, when arriving on site, will identify themselves with ID badges.

In some situations, where a crisis cannot be safely resolved after other avenues of crisis intervention have been exhausted, the crisis response team may attempt to authorize a voluntary, temporary mental health crisis care respite placement based on facility availability.

All placements must be requested and approved by a legal guardian. Guardians will be asked to either provide transportation or approve transport and must also be involved in the placement process with the facility. Crisis respite stays may last 24-72 hours.

Crisis response services are provided at no cost to the family. Other community providers who are not a part of this program, such as paramedics or hospital staff who might provide services during a crisis, may charge fees or require insurance.

Riverview’s Crisis and Transition Services (CATS) provide crisis intervention to youth who present in the emergency department due to a mental or behavioral health concern. The CATS team works in partnership with PeaceHealth staff at both their RiverBend and University District emergency departments.

Our CATS team consists of a master’s level therapist and peer support specialists who work together to assess and support the needs of the youth and their family. This support can involve therapeutic services, referrals to community providers, assistance in navigating the health care system and a variety of other interventions, depending on the needs of the family.

While emergency departments are excellent resources for many health concerns, studies show that many youth who are experiencing mental health crises need specialized counseling care and support.

We are proud to partner with PeaceHealth to support children, teens and their families in Lane County. For more information regarding the CATS program, contact Julie Williamson, Crisis Response and CATS Program Director, at jwilliamson@riverview.org.