MARICOPA COUNTY, Ariz. — Arizona is renowned for its red, desert terrain, the striking beauty of the Grand Canyon and — perhaps less well known — one of the best mental health crisis response systems in the country.
For more than 20 years, the state has been building an integrated crisis system that has shown success in keeping people with mental illnesses and substance use issues out of jails and hospital emergency departments, and getting them care. The system has been used as an example of best practices by the federal Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration and other organizations like the Vera Institute for Justice. Now, Washington state leaders are looking to the state for inspiration as they rethink local mental health systems.
