In a recent piece for The Daily Yonder, Madeline de Figueiredo reported on Helmsley-funded Virtual Crisis Care (VCC) programs in South Dakota and Wyoming, which provide immediate behavioral health support for individuals in crisis. By connecting law enforcement officers with virtual behavioral health professionals on an as-needed basis, VCC is reducing unnecessary hospitalizations and confinements in jail for rural communities across the country.
“People who are experiencing a behavioral health crisis need professional help, and Virtual Crisis Care gets them that help immediately,” said Walter Panzirer, a Trustee of the Helmsley Charitable Trust. “In the simplest terms, Virtual Crisis Care saves lives, time, and money. We need more innovative models like VCC, especially in rural areas where there are limited behavioral health resources.”
