Triage Dashboard Glossary

Triage clinic programs added specialized staff, often to support Transitional Aged Youth (TAY). These staff may provide direct counseling, walk in services, outreach, or family support. These clinicians work with at-risk TAY such as: LGBTQ, homeless, exploited, and abused.

A mental health crisis is any situation in which a person’s actions, feelings, and behaviors can lead to them hurting themselves or others, and/or put them at risk of being unable to care for themselves or function in the community in a healthy manner.

Children’s crisis residential is defined in the California Health and Safety Code as a facility licensed by the department as a short-term residential therapeutic program pursuant to Section 1562.02 and approved by the State Department of Health Care Services, or a county mental health plan to which the State Department of Health Care Services has delegated approval authority, to operate a children’s crisis residential mental health program approval pursuant to Section 11462.011 of the Welfare and Institutions Code , to serve children experiencing mental health crises as an alternative to psychiatric hospitalization.

Detoxification, or detox, is the process of letting the body remove the drugs in it. The purpose of detox is to safely manage withdrawal symptoms when someone stops taking drugs or alcohol.

Emergency shelter is “housing with minimal supportive services for homeless persons that is limited to occupancy of six months or less by a homeless person. No individual or household may be denied emergency shelter because of an inability to pay.” (See Gov. Code, § 65582, subd. (d) and Health and Safety Code, § 50801, subd. (e).

An FTE (Full Time Equivalent) is equal to the number of hours a full-time employee works for an organization. The concept is used to count “hours worked” rather than the number of employees in order to budget, forecast, staff and calculate wages. For example, if an organization considers 40 hours per week as full-time and there are four employees who work 10 hours each per week, those four employees would make 1.0 FTE.

General assistance is a county-funded program that provides temporary financial assistance to those not eligible for federal or state programs or other assistance programs, and who have no other means of support.

Managed care plan Health Maintenance Organizations (HMOs) are a type of health insurance allowing the individual to seek care within a specified network.

Homeless shelters provide temporary residence for individuals and families who are homeless or housing insecure.

Medication management is a strategy for engaging with patients and caregivers to create a complete and accurate medication list using the brown bag method. A complete and accurate medication list is the foundation for addressing medication reconciliation and medication management issues.

Mental Health(MH) Behavioral Health (BH) Practitioner does XYZ.

Mobile crisis Triage programs are designed to stabilize and support the individual in their current living arrangement and/or other appropriate setting (e.g. day program, school, community respite, etc.) and/or ensure that they can return as soon as possible after a crisis occurs. Mobile Crisis Services respond to crisis situations, through intervention and prevention, both on site where the crisis is occurring and/or via phone 24 hours a day.

Referrals to “Other Housing Referrals” are housing services that were provided to the client that do not fit into the categories of homeless shelters, emergency housing, board and care, skilled nursing, residential, or permanent supported housing.

Referrals to “other services” are non mental health or housing services that were provided to the client that do not fit into the categories of; adult protective services, alcohol/narcotics anonymous, child protective services, detox (alcohol or drug), domestic violence/sexual assault services, family, foster care, general assistance, hospital medical unit, law enforcement, Office of Aging, outpatient substance abuse, parole, primary care physician, probation, regional center, residential substance abuse, school/university, spiritual support centers, transitional age youth services, veteran services, victim/witness services, or warm line.

Mobile outreach allows clients to receive county mental health services in locations convenient for them.

Partial hospitalization is a type of outpatient treatment program used to treat mental illness and substance abuse. In partial hospitalization, the patient continues to reside at home, but commutes to a treatment center up to seven days a week. Partial hospitalization focuses on the overall treatment of the individual and is intended to avert or reduce in-patient hospitalization. Intensive Outpatient means mental health services more intensive than routine outpatient and less intensive than a Partial Hospital Program. Mental Health Intensive Outpatient is generally three or more hours per week of direct treatment.

Mental health support often provided by individuals with lived experiences with mental illness. These individuals engage and support a person in crisis and aid in navigating mental health care.

Permanent supported housing provides resources for sustainable living such as rental assistance, case management, and supportive services.

TBD

Refer to inpatient stays at a general hospital in a psychiatric unit or in a psychiatric hospital. These stays are a minimum of overnight. Inpatient hospitalization can provide treatment for severe mental illness or crises.

Mental health rehabilitation and treatment services provided in a supportive residential setting.

Operating from 2014-2017, there were 24 County Triage programs across California which focused on providing services and supports that result in individuals being referred to the least restrictive wellness, resiliency, and recovery-oriented treatment settings that are appropriate to their needs.

Operating from 2018-2022, there are 30 Triage programs in 20 counties which focus on providing services and supports that result in individuals being referred to the least restrictive wellness, resiliency, and recovery-oriented treatment settings that are appropriate to their needs.

Operating from 2018-2022, there are 30 Triage programs in 20 counties which focus on providing services and supports that result in individuals being referred to the least restrictive wellness, resiliency, and recovery-oriented treatment settings that are appropriate to their needs.

Children’s Mental Health Crisis.  Expands the “Investment in Mental Health Wellness Act of 2013” to apply to children. Adds as an objective of the Act to provide a complete continuum of crisis services for children and youth 21 years of age and under, including early intervention and treatment services, crisis intervention, crisis stabilization and crisis residential treatment, increased mobile crisis support teams,  crisis stabilization services and beds, crisis residential treatment beds, triage personnel, family respite care, and family supportive training and related services.

Triage personnel are positioned in the school district to serve a multitude of functions. School staff are trained to improve the culture and climate of campuses. Training includes the ability to recognize signs of crises as well as how to handle them appropriately. In some instances, counselors and social workers are stationed on campus in participating school districts to provide direct care and referrals to students in need.

The School-County Collaborative grant program strengthens partnerships between County Behavioral Health Departments and Local Education Agencies (LEAs) to: (1) increase access to a continuum of mental health services and supports through school-community partnerships; (2) further develop a coordinated and effective crisis response systems on school campuses when mental health crises arise; (3) further engage parents and caregivers in supporting their child’s social-emotional development and building family resilience; and (4) reducing the number of children placed in special education for emotional disturbance or removed from school and community due to their mental health needs.

Transitional Aged Youth (TAY) range from ages 16-25. Triage services may work directly or solely with this age demographic.

County triage personnel provide linkages and services to what may be the first mental health contact for someone in crisis. Crisis services are provided at shelters, jails, clinics and hospital emergency rooms to help link a person to appropriate services.

This is a contact number to assist individuals in immediate need of services to connect with County services. A Warm Line is a phone number that aims to be a highly accessible, low-threshold mental health resource that people can use to seek support before they’ve reached the crisis point, in the hope that support now will prevent crisis later.

Wellness centers provide a variety of services including primary and mental health services, substance use and abuse, and pharmacy services. These centers often provide care to a variety of economic and cultural diverse communities.