HAMPTON, Va. — A relatively new effort to address mental health needs in Hampton is having success.
“My loved one needed intervention," said Hampton resident Vivian Stevens-Lyons.
Stevens-Lyons recently called on the mobile crisis unit in Hampton to help a relative with dementia.
Watch: Youngkin highlights mental health system progress as term nears end
“They came out and they were compassionate and they spoke with my family member and returned my family member home," Stevens-Lyons recalled.
As News 3 reported in May, the mobile crisis unit is a partnership between Hampton Fire & Rescue and the Hampton-Newport News Community Services Board.
Watch: New partnership in Hampton created to address mental health needs in the city
A mental health clinician from the Community Services Board and a Hampton Fire & Rescue EMT team up and respond to mental health calls as needed instead of police responding.
“It is being used a lot. Typically, two to three calls a day," said Mobile Crisis Clinician Connie Vatsa. "The volume of calls has increased each month since it started."
“Anything you can do on the average day to help somebody else, it’s going to make you feel good," Hampton Fire & Rescue Medic-Firefighter Robert Haynes said. "That's what we do it for."
Watch: New Virginia sports exam form adds mental and heart health screening
It’s a service that could be especially important around the holidays
According to a poll released in 2023 by the American Psychological Association, 49 percent of U.S. adults describe their stress level during the holiday season as moderate and 41 percent say their stress increases during the season compared to other times of the year.
It’s also a service that benefits not just the patients but hospitals as well, like Sentara CarePlex Hospital in Hampton, by keeping patients out of the ER where there may not be resources to properly treat them.
Watch: Food locker opens at Sentara CarePlex Hospital to help address food insecurity on the peninsula
“We’re very grateful to be partners in this program and look forward to doing a lot more, not just with the CSB and Hampton Fire but hopefully with other municipalities as well," said Sentara Eastern region Market President Kapua Conley.
The mobile crisis unit operates Monday-Friday 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. You can also call or text 988 24/7 if you or someone you know is in need of mental health help.
