LCSO Sheriff Pope’s Message of the Week: March 29, 2024

The Lyon County Sheriff’s Office is proud to partner with Avel eCare for Virtual Crisis Care, adding another, and much needed mental health resource in Lyon County. In conjunction with Lyon County Human Services’ Mobil Outreach Safety Team (MOST), and NAMI Western Nevada, Avel eCare provided training this week to Sheriff’s Office personnel from the Patrol, Detention, and Communication Divisions, as well as Lyon County Juvenile Probation Officers in the use of this new technology.

This program and equipment comes at no cost to the county. The program is paid for by a state grant and through donations from a charitable organization. It also includes continuing education opportunities for every member of the agency, at no cost!

“Law enforcement is increasingly called on to respond to mental health or substance abuse crises across the country. Officers and deputies who answer these calls – while motivated to serve their communities and possessing a desire to help – often lack the clinical training to accurately and effectively assess and support individuals in mental health crisis. Avel eCare’s Crisis Care program seeks to bridge this gap.

“Since 2020, this innovative virtual co-responder program provides law enforcement with 24/7 access to behavioral health professionals who can assist in responding to people experiencing a mental health crisis. To do so, the program utilizes cellular-enabled tablets to connect behavioral health professionals with law enforcement to assist with de-escalation, stabilization and safety assessment during crisis situations regardless of the location, whether it is on the side of the road or in a living room. Importantly, the support does not cease following the initial crisis response. Crisis Care’s unique model ensures individuals who were in crisis are connected to local mental health resources for follow-up care.”

At the conclusion of training this past Tuesday, the Lyon County Sheriff’s Office “went live” with Avel eCare Virtual Crisis Care. The Lyon County Sheriff’s Office is extremely excited to have this new resource at its disposal to better serve the citizens of Lyon County!