Crisis Now Academy
Most communities defer to law enforcement and hospitals for most people in a psychiatric emergency. The Crisis Now Academy think tank supports the creation of next-level solutions to a multitude of mental health, substance use, IDD and/or suicidal crises systems challenges. Our national thought leaders create videos, tools and products, many of which we’ve shared open source in the public domain (CrisisNow.com) and we host 988 and Crisis Learning Community video calls.
Our team from RI International and Behavioral Health Link stand ready with more intensive support, consultation and training offerings. These can be as limited as a few hours of phone consultation to support the creation of options around a particular issue to a full scale system redesign that can support any community. We’ve worked at the Federal, State, County and City levels in the US and abroad. 988 has offered a once in a lifetime chance to transform behavioral health crisis care and change is within our reach.
“Every system is perfectly designed to get the results it gets."
-Institute for Healthcare Improvement
Consultants and Faculty
Architects of Crisis Now, SAMHSA’S National Guidelines and Zero Suicide
David Covington, LPC, MBA
CEO & President RI International
BH Innovator, Entrepreneur & Storyteller. Partner in Georgia’s BHL. Architect MASoSfilm CrisisNow HopeInc & ZeroSuicide
Tonja Myles, CPSS
Community Liaison
RI International
Community activist, peer counselor, veteran, subject matter expert in addiction, mental health and untreated trauma. Sought after counsel for community-based policy and system changes in communities of color.
John Draper, PhD
President Research & Development
Behavioral Health Link
Dr. Draper has nearly 25 years of experience in crisis intervention and suicide prevention work, and is considered one of the nation’s leading experts in crisis contact center practices (hotline, online chat, SMS services, etc.).
Michael Hogan, PhD
Principal & Consultant
Hogan Health Solutions
A Principal Founder of the Zero Suicide in Healthcare Movement. Co-lead for the 2011 Clinical Care & Intervention Task Force that Published the National Action Alliance for Suicide Prevention Roadmap
Rochelle Head-Dunham, MD, DFAPA, FASAM
Director on RI International's Board
Executive Director and Medical Director for Metropolitan Human Services District (MHSD)
Thomas Betlach
Partner Speire Healthcare Strategies
Former Arizona Medicaid Director, Nationally Recognized Thought Leader on Medicaid and Healthcare Policy, Delivery System Transformation, Value-Based Purchasing, Managed Care, and Cost Containment
Tracy Plouck, MPA
Consultant
RI International
Former Ohio Medicaid Director; Former Ohio Mental Health & Addiction Services Director. Expertise in health care policy and public budgeting.
Senior Consulting Team
Jamie Sellar, MA, LPC
Chief Strategy Officer
RI International
Senior BH Executive, Writer of SAMHSA's National Guidelines for Behavioral Health Crisis Care, Consultant for Crisis System Development and Operational Management
Chuck Browning, MD
Chief Medical Officer
RI International
International Speaker, BH Focus on the Fusion of Medical and Peer Support Systems, Medical Director of Call Centers, Mobile Support and Crisis Facilities
Wayne Lindstrom, PhD
VP of Consulting and Business Development
RI International
Former Director of the BH Services Division and CEO of the BH Collaborative for New Mexico, Expert on Organizational Development and BH Crisis Systems
Sue Ann O’Brien, LPC, MBA
VP Crisis System Integration & TA RI International
Experienced BH Leader and Provider of the Nation's Broadest Application of Advanced Crisis Call Center Technology, Care Traffic Control
Georgea Madeira, LMFT, MBA
Senior Principal Consultant
RI International
Experienced MH/SU Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist. Organizational and Leadership Consultant. State Leader of Leading BH Crisis Care Provider.
Kristen Ellis, LMFT
Senior Principal Consultant
RI International
Editor and Storyteller. Experienced MH/SU Licensed Therapist. BH Leader. Consultant for Crisis System Development and Optimization. Advocate for Lived Experience and
Peer Support.
Aaron Foster, MA, LAC, CRC, CRSS
Director of Consulting and Education
RI International
Experienced in Training and Implementation of Peer Services, Author in Psych Rehab Best Practices, Education Director, Rehabilitation Counselor
Terrence Smithers, BA, CPRP, CRPS
Manager of Training Development
RI International
35 years of Behavioral Health Experience: Leader, Clinician, Author,
Trainer, and Peer
Additional Faculty
Victor Armstrong, MSW
Former North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services Chief Health Equity Officer, Former RI International Board Member
Paul Galdys, MBA, CPRP
Deputy CEO
RI International
Experienced MH and SU Service Leader, Former Assistant Director with Arizona Medicaid, Lead Writer of the National Guidelines for Behavioral Health Crisis Care
Joy Brunson-Nsubuga, MA, LMFT, LCAS, CCS
Regional VP
RI International
Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist, Expert in Systems Thinking, BH Crisis Systems, and SU/MAT
Erica Chestnut-Ramirez, MC, LISAC
Regional VP, La Frontera Arizona - Empact SPC
Substance Abuse Counselor, Trainer for the Effective Use of Mobile Crisis Teams, Crisis Training and Suicide Prevention, Mental Health First Aid Instructor
Michael Claeys, LPC, MBA
CEO
Behavioral Health Link
Developer of One of Georgia’s First Crisis Centers, Expertise in Quality Review, Extensive Provider Training, Provider Profiling, and Integration of Individualized Recovery Services
Pierluigi Mancini, PhD
Director on RI International's Board
Author, Behavioral Health Expert, Cultural Competence Consultant, Immigrant Behavioral Health, Health Disparities and Media Expert, Program Developer, Public Speaker
Shannon Jaccard, MBA
Chair of RI International's Board
Behavioral Health Consultant and Adjunct Professor at Alliant University, Member of the Aspen Global Leadership Network, and Former CEO of NAMI San Diego
DeQuincy Meiffren-Lézine, PhD
Secretary on RI International's Board
Director of the Lived Experience Academy, Lifetime Achievement Winner of SAMSHA Voice Award, Internationally Recognized Speaker, Published Author.
Shelby Rowe, MBA
Director on RI International's Board
Director of the Suicide Prevention Resource Center at the OU Health Science Center
Joe Williams
Director on RI International's Board
Wagga Wagga Citizen of the Year, SPA’s LiFE Award, published author and public speaker
Lysha Best, MA, MBA
North Carolina State Director
RI International
Experienced SU/MH Licensed Clinician, State Leader of Leading BH Crisis Care Provider, Expertise in Strategic and Operations Management
Marleigh O’Meara, MC, LPC, NCC
Regional VP
RI International
Experience in the Oversight of Opiate Treatment Programs, Permanent Supportive Housing, Integrated Outpatient Care, Peer Respite and facility-Based Crisis Services
Ronald Forbes, MD
Director on RI International's Board
Former Medical Director of Central State Hospital (VA), Psychiatric Consultant
Michael
Riddle, MD
Associate CMO
RI International
Clinical Assistant Professor of Psychiatry at University of Arizona, Lifelong Educator, Experienced BH Leader, Medical Director of Crisis Facilities, and Experienced Crisis Provider.
Amy Jordan, RN, MSN
Program Supervisor & Nurse Trainer
RI International
Psychiatric Nurse, Opioid Consult Team, Passionate Mental Health & Harm Reduction Advocate
Akemie Jones, MS, LMFT, LCASA
Clinical Director & DEILC Chair
RI International
Experienced SU/MH Clinician, DEI Advocate, BH Crisis Systems Expertise, Systems Thinking Expert
Stephanie Hepburn, JD
Chief Content Officer
RI International
Editor in chief of #CrisisTalk (talk.crisisnow.com). Award-winning author and journalist.
Kenneth Thompson, MD
Director on RI International's Board
Principal Psychiatrist, Visible Hands Consulting and Clinical Associate Professor of Psychiatry at University of Pittsburgh
Karen Jones, MBA
Chief of Staff
RI International
Executive Professional Administrator, BH Advocate, Expertise in Planning, Project Management, Event Management, Communication, and Administrative Functions
Gregg Graham, MA, MBA
Founding Partner
Behavioral Health Link
Experienced in Developing, Managing and Providing Behavioral Health Crisis Services Systems
Publications
Media Coverage
Nationwide Mental Health Crisis Number to Change How the Us Approaches Suicide Prevention
(Claire Hardwick, USA TODAY, May 13, 2022) The goal of 988 is comprehensive crisis care where medical attention or law enforcement is not needed in the vast majority of situations.
Why Colorado's Inventive Plan to Create an Emergency Mental Health Care System Failed
(Ben Markus, NPR, July 20, 2020) Ten years ago when 12 people died in the movie theater shooting in Aurora, Colo., leaders promised mental health system reforms. But Markus believes established providers fought to maintain the status quo..
'Arizona model' for behavioral health crisis care gains attention from other states
(Christine Vestal, Stateline, February 21, 2020, published in AZCentral) Police officers deliver patients who are having a psychiatric crisis directly to the Crisis Recovery Center in Peoria, Arizona. Nationwide, other states are emulating the crisis response model developed in Arizona.
New Suicide Prevention Number Could Lead to Surge in Calls
(Christine Vestal, Stateline, December 20, 2019) Brian Anderson, a peer support administrator at the Georgia Crisis and Access Line, in downtown Atlanta. The U.S. suicide rate increased by a third from 1999 to 2017. The Pew Charitable Trusts
3-Digit Hotline Aims To Assist In Suicide Prevention
(NPR, Rhitu Chatterjee, September 13, 2019) So would a three-digit number help those in crisis more than a 10-digit one? It's a question on the mind of the federal agency that wants to start a new three-digit hotline for people feeling suicidal or going through any other mental health crisis.
When someone is thinking of suicide, these are the people who talk them out of it
(CNN, Doug Criss, September 10, 2018) Nestled in a downtown Atlanta high-rise, the call center for the Georgia Crisis & Access Line hosts the staff of Behavioral Health Link, a crisis services company, contracted by the state of Georgia. When a person calls 1-800-715-4225 from anywhere in the state, the folks here answer -- 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
Congressional Engagement
Tom Betlach, Speire Healthcare Strategies, Testifies before US Senate Committee on Finance,
“Mental Health Care in America: Addressing Root Causes and Identifying Policy Solutions” (June 15, 2021)
Tonja Myles, Certified Peer Support Specialist, Community Liaison, The Bridge Center for Hope, RI International Testifies before Departments of Labor, Health and Human Services Education and Related Agencies,
“Mental Health Emergencies: Building a Robust Crisis Response System“ (May 13, 2021)
Joy Brunson-Nsubuga, VP Southeast RI International, and Tonja Myles Testify for National Action Alliance for Suicide Prevention Briefing Series,
"Action Needed: Tackling the Nation's Mental Health Crisis" addressing how 988 and crisis services will transform care.
Sue Ann Atkerson, CEO of Behavioral Health Link, Testifies Before Congress on 988
(Subcommittee on Communications and Technology, Committee on Energy and Commerce, February 27, 2020)
David Covington, CEO & President RI International, Testifies at Briefing with US Representatives Chris Stewart and Seth Moulton,
“988: How a 3-Digit Suicide Prevention Hotline Can Transform Access to Mental Health Care” (Capitol Visitors Center Congressional Meeting Room South, October 30, 2019)
David Covington Appointed to Interdepartmental Serious Mental Illness Coordinating Committee (ISMICC),
Publishing the Way Forward Report to Congress (December 2017)
David Covington, CEO & President RI International, Testifies at Transforming Crisis Mental Health Care Briefing,
a bipartisan event co-hosted by Reps. Grace Napolitano and John Katko in coordination with the National Action Alliance for Suicide Prevention (May 26, 2017)
Other Crisis Industry Impact
Paul Galdys, Deputy CEO at RI International, Lead Author for the SAMHSA National Guidelines for Behavioral Health Crisis Care: A Best Practice Toolkit,
Crisis Services: Meeting Needs, Saving Lives Compendium (February 24, 2020)
David Covington speaks at International Initiative for Mental Health Leadership Summit, Washington, DC,
“Crisis Now: The Human and Business Case for Building a Comprehensive Crisis Services System” (September 12, 2019)
Video Production
Strategic Partner BHL Technology (Care Traffic Control software of Behavioral Health Link)
Outcomes
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