Connections Health Solutions

Community Leaders

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Explore insights and best practices from crisis response thought leaders and experts.

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  • person in distress

    When a behavioral health crisis occurs, many communities default to involving law enforcement. The result? Individuals in crisis are often taken to jails, an environment ill-suited to addressing their mental health needs. This approach not only fails the individual but also places an unnecessary burden on the criminal justice system. 

    Connections Health Solutions Jul 24, 2025
  • person in distress

    When a behavioral health crisis occurs, many communities default to involving law enforcement. The result? Individuals in crisis are often taken to jails, an environment ill-suited to addressing their mental health needs. This approach not only fails the individual but also places an unnecessary burden on the criminal justice system. 

    Connections Health Solutions Jul 24, 2025
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    When a behavioral health crisis strikes, the emergency room is often the first place people turn for help. While emergency departments (EDs) are essential for treating physical trauma and acute medical conditions, they are not equipped to address the complex needs of individuals experiencing a mental health crisis. 

    Connections Health Solutions Jul 3, 2025
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    When communities face behavioral health crises, the default solutions often involve incarceration or emergency room visits. While these options might seem like the quickest route to care, they come with hidden costs that can strain the individuals in crisis, families, and healthcare systems alike. To truly address the behavioral health crisis, it’s time to reconsider how we allocate resources and explore more sustainable, impactful alternatives. 

    Connections Health Solutions Jul 3, 2025

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    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
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    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
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    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
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    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
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    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
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    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
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    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
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    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
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    In the United States, the increasing demand for behavioral healthcare among youth is met with challenges, leading to unnecessary hospital visits and prolonged stays in inpatient facilities. Limited community resources often result in disproportionate school discipline or justice system involvement for youth with behavioral health needs. SAMHSA created behavioral health crisis care guidelines to improve outcomes for youth and their families.   

    Connections Health Solutions Feb 29, 2024
  • Download our free Summer Wellness Toolkit today!
    This toolkit offers valuable activities to support your child's well-being.
    CONNECTIONS HEALTH SOLUTIONS SUMMER WELLNESS TOOLKIT

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