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How to Handle An Acute Mental Illness Crisis At Home

Step 1: For Sucide Attempt or Missing Person

• For Suicide Attempt in progress, phone 911 first
• For Suicide Intervention call:
  • Polk County Peace River Center Crisis Hotline: 863-579-3744
    OR
  • Crisis Response Team (Polk County)
    863-534-9210; 863-534-9211; or 863-534-9212
    OR
  • National Hopeline Network Suicide Prevention Hotline at 1-800-suicide
    1-800-784-2433
• For a missing family member call
  Polk County Sheriff Missing Persons
  863-534-0344

Step 2: Non-Suicide Crisis

If there is no suicide situation, and if your mentally ill loved one can be safely transported by you - go to one of these crisis stabilization units. If possible call the unit before leaving home:

Winter Haven Hospital - 863-294-7057
For East Polk and Highlands county Residents (Accepts Medicare or Private Insurance)

Lakeland Regional Medical Center - 863-687-1231
For West Polk and Hardee County Residents (Accepts Medicare or Private Insurance)

OR

Peach River Crisis Stabilization Unit - Bartow - 863-519-3744
For anyone with Medicaid or no Insurance

Step 3: What to Say if You Call Law Enforcement for Help

• If you need assistance in helping your loved one to be delivered to a crisis center, or if there is a medical condition that needs medical attention (for example: drug overdose, epilepsy seizures, profuse bleeding from self-inflicted injury, etc) Phone 911 on either a landline phone or cell phone.
• Specifically tell the 911 operator this: "I am requesting the aid of a “C.I.T.” officer that can help my family member who has a severe mental illness."  The operator will send specially trained law enforcement officers, if available, who are understanding, patient, and trained in dealing with mental illness crises. They are members of the “Crisis Intervention Team”, or “C.I.T.” for short.  You can ask the 911 operator to have the officers arrive at your house without lights or sirens.
• If this is a repeat crisis with a known history of severe mental illness, be sure to tell the officers this fact when they arrive. You can help your loved one get the help they need immediately by using an important tool of involuntary examination called the "Baker Act". The Florida Baker Act law permits crisis center mental health care providers to evaluate your mentally ill loved one during a 72 hour period, if the following two criteria are met for someone believed to be mentally ill: (1) the person is unable to understand or determine his/her own need for treatment; and (2) the person's condition and behavior puts him/herself or others in danger. Ask the law enforcement officers to do a "Baker Act" in your house based on these criteria, preferably before driving to a crisis center. A Baker Act might not be done immediately if the officers believe that a crisis center mental health professional is better suited to make the initial evaluation. Appropriately trained officers will already know enough to NOT go to a hospital emergency room except for a medical conditions (like profuse bleeding).  If the officer who arrive at your location does not have special training you may ask him to take you to one of the facilities listed in step 2.
• It is a normal reaction for anyone to feel uneasy about seeing a law enforcement officer in your house. But you don't need to worry about it because they are simply there to help out under friendly conditions, and they are trained to help you understand this. They have been instructed to help you and guide you through the rest of the steps in admitting your loved one to one of the crisis centers listed above.

Step 4: Legal Help for Baker Act

Baker Act Public Defender - 863-534-4200
Serves 14th Circuit - Polk, Hardee, and Highlands Counties.
Represents a Baker Acted person in court at no cost to the client.