In an emergency?
Community Leaders
Resource Library
Featured Resources
-
In a recent Crisis Jam discussion, Dr. Chris Carson, pioneer of the 23-hour observation model and Co-Founder of Connections, shared his insights on strengthening crisis care systems through the no wrong door model, medical leadership, and system-wide coordination. He emphasized the importance of direct access to psychiatric care, strong law enforcement partnerships, and operational efficiency to improve outcomes for individuals in crisis.
Connections Health Solutions Mar 28, 2025 -
In a recent Crisis Jam discussion, Dr. Chris Carson, pioneer of the 23-hour observation model and Co-Founder of Connections, shared his insights on strengthening crisis care systems through the no wrong door model, medical leadership, and system-wide coordination. He emphasized the importance of direct access to psychiatric care, strong law enforcement partnerships, and operational efficiency to improve outcomes for individuals in crisis.
Connections Health Solutions Mar 28, 2025 -
Recently, Dr. Margie Balfour joined the Crisis Jam to discuss one of the most pressing issues in crisis care: voluntary versus involuntary admissions. Dr. Balfour, Chief of Quality and Clinical Innovation at Connections Health Solutions took the position that crisis facilities should accept involuntary individuals, while Travis Atkinson, Director of Clinical and Crisis Services at TBD Solutions, presented the opposing view, arguing that crisis care should focus on voluntary services.
Connections Health Solutions Mar 19, 2025 -
As the demand for behavioral health crisis services continues to grow, it’s clear that communities need more than just additional psychiatric beds—they need fully integrated crisis systems that ensure people receive the right care at the right time. During our recent webinar, Dr. Margie Balfour and Chris Santarsiero explored how SAMHSA’s new guidelines, policy changes, and innovative crisis care models are shaping the future of behavioral health.
Connections Health Solutions Mar 7, 2025
- All
- Crisis Response Center
- 23-Hour Observation
- Law Enforcement
- Crisis Education
- Crisis Roadmap
- Mental Health
- Peer Support
- Policy
- Youth Crisis
-
With an increase in fentanyl across the globe, Connections Health Solutions’ chief of quality and innovation officer, Dr. Margie Balfour, spoke to what Connections is doing and how crisis response centers can help.
“Part of our mission is to get people into treatment instead of in the justice system,” Dr. Balfour stated.
Connections Health Solutions Jul 3, 2024 -
When 911 is called for a mental health crisis, the default response is often law enforcement rather than mental health professionals - but a proven response model is looking to change that.
Connections Health Solutions Jun 26, 2024 -
In the United States, a community's response to a behavioral health crisis is often fragmented, inefficient, and inaccessible to those who need it most. In most communities, few treatment options are designed for and capable of safely managing the care of individuals in crisis. Additionally, the capacity of behavioral health services, both inpatient and outpatient, has struggled to keep up with rising patient volumes and requests for services. This challenge has been made worse by workforce shortages across the industry.
Connections Health Solutions Jun 20, 2024 -
As leaders in the behavioral health crisis care space, we often are asked, “What defines a crisis?”. At Connections, we believe a behavioral health crisis is determined by the individual. We describe it as an emergent situation where an individual finds themselves unable to cope with their thoughts, emotions, or circumstances. A failure to resolve such a situation could potentially endanger oneself or others. Common indicators of a crisis include struggling with suicidal thoughts, substance misuse, anxiety, psychosis, or social issues.
Connections Health Solutions Jun 4, 2024 -
Delivering immediate, high quality behavioral health crisis care to people in need is a team effort. At Connections Health Solutions, our team is comprised of individuals who each possess a different background and level of expertise, from the mental health professionals who work in our centers to the members of law enforcement we collaborate with in the communities we serve throughout Arizona, Montana, and soon Virginia and Washington state. Peer support specialists bring a unique type of experience to crisis care, making them an invaluable member of the Connections care team, as well as a person’s journey.
Connections Health Solutions May 29, 2024 -
People experiencing mental health crises can't afford to wait - but with behavioral health urgent care centers and the 23-hour observation model, they now have access to care in hours rather than days.
Dr. Chris A Carson, MD, MBA May 22, 2024 -
At a time when mental health costs are skyrocketing, one innovative model is delivering care at a fraction of the cost of traditional ER and hospital visits.
Dr. Chris A Carson, MD, MBA May 15, 2024 -
23-hour observation programs may seem straightforward on the surface, but it's the specific components and protocols that separate the most effective programs from the rest.
Dr. Chris A Carson, MD, MBA May 8, 2024 -
When 911 is called for a mental health crisis, the default response is often law enforcement rather than mental health professionals - but a proven treatment model is looking to change that.
Dr. Chris A Carson, MD, MBA May 1, 2024 -
As of April 2023, states were able to resume Medicaid redeterminations and terminations of coverage for those no longer eligible, potentially putting millions of individuals at risk of losing coverage.
Connections Health Solutions Mar 1, 2024
Sign Up For Our Newsletter
Discover the latest news about Connections and best practices in behavioral health care.
Stay up-to-date with critical insights for our communities, managed care organizations, providers, and more.