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Connections Crisis Walk‑in Center reports 617 encounters, mobile team averages 22‑minute response
Summary
Connections provided a 90‑day update to the Cumberland County Finance meeting, reporting 617 served through January, an average mobile response time of 22 minutes, an average observation stay of 18 hours, and plans for an EMS pilot work group and ongoing funding discussions with insurers and grantors.
Courtney Sanchez, vice president of business development for Connections, told the Cumberland County Finance meeting that the agency’s Crisis Walk‑in Center and mobile crisis teams served 617 people through January and that mobile units averaged a 22‑minute response time.
Sanchez said the walk‑in center and mobile teams operate a “no wrong door” model, with 24/7 staffing for urgent care and observation up to 23 hours, 59 minutes. “Our walk in center for Dauphin, Cumberland and Perry operates under the high‑intensity model,” she said, adding the program serves voluntary and involuntary individuals of ages 14 and older.
The update matters because the center aims to divert people from emergency departments and reduce law‑enforcement custody time. “We are able to resolve over 50% of mobile calls by stabilizing in the community,” Sanchez said, and she reported that law enforcement drop‑offs accounted for roughly half of drop‑off volume while youth represented about 28% of drop‑offs.
Kimberly Jones, vice president of clinical operations for Connections, said mobile crisis teams are staffed with a licensed clinician and a peer in each vehicle and are dispatched for 988, 911 and county crisis calls. Jones said the average length of stay in observation was 18 hours and that law enforcement drop‑off door‑to‑release averaged about four minutes. “The average length of stay is 18 hours in our observation units,” she said.
Commissioners asked about the reporting period and rollout. Sanchez clarified the figures covered both December (mobile launched Dec. 4; adult clinic Dec. 11) and January (youth services launched Jan. 13), and that all service lines were fully operating by mid‑January. Sanchez said Connections conducts follow‑up attempts at 24 hours, 48 hours and seven days after discharge and documents encounters in the AEHR.
Looking ahead, Connections plans to form a work group with Dr. Bledsoe to establish criteria for an EMS pilot to streamline first‑responder transfers to the center, followed by training and process refinement. Sanchez also said Connections is engaged with commercial insurers on parity and with PerformCare and expects grant funding to be spent by a revised deadline.
The presenters cited updated federal guidance, saying the center aligns with new 2025 SAMHSA definitions for high‑intensity walk‑in centers.
Commissioners and attendees reported positive feedback from hospitals and police briefings; Connections staff said they have scheduled multiple briefings and that mobile units are staging at the Cumberland dispatch center to shorten response times.
No formal action was taken; the presentation concluded after questions and a brief success story describing a patient who received referrals, therapy linkage and medication within a day of a Connections visit.
The Finance Meeting logged the 90‑day update and invited continued coordination among county, hospitals and first responders to reduce unnecessary hospital stays and improve transitions of care.
