Publications · 2025
Is access to crisis teams associated with changes in behavioral health mortality?
Health Affairs Scholar , 3(1):qxaf003 , 2025 · doi:10.1093/haschl/qxaf003
Overview
Linking changes in county-level access to behavioral health crisis teams to changes in mortality from 2014 to 2019, crisis-team entry was associated with a 7% reduction in county drug overdose deaths, while crisis-team closure was associated with a 13% increase. Suicide and acute alcohol mortality showed no significant associations. The findings suggest crisis teams may be one lever for narrowing gaps in substance use treatment.
Abstract
Behavioral health–related mortality—deaths from suicide, drug overdose, and acute alcohol injury—are leading causes of death among US adults. Crisis teams, trained behavioral health professionals who serve as first responders to assess and stabilize clients in crisis, as well as refer to treatment as necessary, have been shown to reduce psychiatric hospitalizations, but whether crisis teams reduce behavioral health mortality has not been studied. We assessed the association between changes in access to crisis team programs and changes in county-level suicide, drug overdose, and acute alcohol injury mortality from 2014 through 2019. We found that 250 (9%) of counties experienced crisis team program entry and another 237 (9%) experienced crisis team program closure. Access to crisis team programs was associated with significant changes in county-level drug overdose deaths, but not suicide or acute alcohol injury. Compared with counties with no change in access, crisis team program entry was associated with a 7% reduction in county-level drug overdose death rates, and crisis team program closure was associated with a 13% increase in drug overdose death rates. These findings may support the use of crisis teams as 1 intervention to address substance use disorder treatment gaps in the United States.
Topics
- behavioral health
- crisis intervention
- drug overdose
- first responders
- mental health policy
- county-level analysis
- substance use disorder
- 988 lifeline
How to cite
Newton H, Beetham T, Busch S. Is access to crisis teams associated with changes in behavioral health mortality?. Health Affairs Scholar, 3(1):qxaf003; 2025. doi:10.1093/haschl/qxaf003
Show BibTeX
@article{newton2025isaccess,
title = {{Is access to crisis teams associated with changes in behavioral health mortality?}},
author = {Newton, H. and Beetham, T. and Busch, S.},
journal = {Health Affairs Scholar},
year = {2025},
volume = {3},
number = {1},
pages = {qxaf003},
doi = {10.1093/haschl/qxaf003},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1093/haschl/qxaf003},
abstract = {Behavioral health–related mortality—deaths from suicide, drug overdose, and acute alcohol injury—are leading causes of death among US adults. Crisis teams, trained behavioral health professionals who serve as first responders to assess and stabilize clients in crisis, as well as refer to treatment as necessary, have been shown to reduce psychiatric hospitalizations, but whether crisis teams reduce behavioral health mortality has not been studied. We assessed the association between changes in access to crisis team programs and changes in county-level suicide, drug overdose, and acute alcohol injury mortality from 2014 through 2019. We found that 250 (9%) of counties experienced crisis team program entry and another 237 (9%) experienced crisis team program closure. Access to crisis team programs was associated with significant changes in county-level drug overdose deaths, but not suicide or acute alcohol injury. Compared with counties with no change in access, crisis team program entry was associated with a 7% reduction in county-level drug overdose death rates, and crisis team program closure was associated with a 13% increase in drug overdose death rates. These findings may support the use of crisis teams as 1 intervention to address substance use disorder treatment gaps in the United States.},
keywords = {behavioral health; crisis intervention; drug overdose; first responders; mental health policy; county-level analysis; substance use disorder; 988 lifeline}
}