Wristbands to help first responders ID individuals with mental illness during a crisis
Paul KuehnelThe York County Crisis Intervention Team gathered Thursday to give away the first of 5,000 wristbands that they hope will help identify an individual diagnosed with mental illness in the event first responders need to interact with them in a crisis situation.
The wristbands will also be worn by police who are a trained CIT officer.
“The CIT initiative is a collaboration between the police, the courts, probation, mental health care providers and...individuals with mental illnesses, substance abuse issues and others in need as they interact with the criminal justice system and health care system,” Katherine Gruver, CIT coordinator for the county, said as she opened the presentation at York Area Regional Police in York Township.
The wristbands are a response to an inquiry from law enforcement officers who asked if there was something that people with a mental health condition could wear that would identify them to an emergency responder arriving at a call.
York County is thought to be the first county in Pennsylvania to offer the wristbands. The program is starting with 16 trained officers throughout the county. Sixteen out of 67 counties in Pennsylvania have similar CIT initiatives, Gruver said.
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According to Desirree Irvin, executive director of National Alliance on Mental Illness in York-Adams Counties PA, one in five people in the United States were affected by mental illness before the pandemic, and the numbers narrowed to one in four after the pandemic. She said the numbers in York County reflect the national numbers.
The wristbands will be distributed through WellSpan York Hospital, UPMC, and mental health professionals. Those interested in receiving bracelets can contact NAMI-York-Adams Counties PA at 717 848 3784.
