Avera to Use Telehealth to Connect Police, Mental Health Professionals

Avera Health is launching a telehealth platform to give South Dakota law enforcement and court officers on-demand access to telemental health professionals.

The Sioux Falls-based health system is using a $1 million grant from the Leona M. and Harry B. Helmsley Charitable Trust to launch the pilot telehealth program, in a partnership with the South Dakota Unified Judicial System, in 23 counties. Avera eCARE’s Virtual Crisis Care Program will use mHealth tablets to link officers with counselors to aid in assessing, de-escalating and stabilizing crisis situations.

“This will be an asset for law enforcement who suspect someone may have a mental health issue and for probation officers monitoring people after sentencing,” South Dakota Chief Justice David Gilbertson said in a press release. “If we could give access to mental health expertise to professionals throughout the system from attorneys to judges, it could revolutionize the South Dakota criminal justice system.”

The program is similar to programs being launched in other parts of the country that aim to give police, fire and EMS services virtual access to healthcare services, ranging from primary care providers to mental health experts, to assist in field events. Experts says these connected health platforms can improve care at the scene and reduce the need for costly emergency transports to the hospital or even arrests.

“Partnering to find innovative solutions to reduce disparities in healthcare access in rural areas is a cornerstone of Avera eCARE’s work,” Avera eCARE CEO Deanna Larson said in the press release. “Across the US, there is a growing shortage of psychiatric workforce. At the same time, we see the need for behavioral health care recognized, resulting in an increasing number of requests for services.”

“Virtual Crisis Care is developed to initiate assessment when the call for help comes to first responders and law enforcement officers,” she said. “The virtual access fills a critical gap, providing on-the-spot access to mental health care services while connecting people to local resources.”

Launched in 2008, the Helmsley Trust has committed more than $400 billion to innovative telehealth and mHealth programs, including the Diabetes Innovation Challenge launched in 2018 by T1D Exchange and a national Project ECHO telemedicine program launched in 2018 at the University of Florida to improve care coordination for people living with type 1 diabetes.

The trust has worked often with Avera as well, giving Avera eCARE a $7.8 million grant in 2018 to launch a 24-hour telemental health service and a $4.3 million grant in 2019 to help develop a national telehealth certificate program.