Crisis support services are short-term (less than two weeks per episode) services that include face-to-face and other means of assistance with life skills training and understanding of medication effects on an individual.

(1) An agency providing crisis support services must:

(a) Assure communication and coordination with the individual's mental health or substance use disorder treatment provider, if indicated and appropriate;

(b) If an individual is found to be experiencing an acute crisis, remain with the individual in order to provide stabilization and support until the crisis is resolved or referral to another service is accomplished;

(c) As appropriate, refer individuals to voluntary or involuntary treatment facilities for admission on a seven day a week, 24 hour a day basis, including arrangements for contacting the designated crisis responder;

(d) Transport or arrange for transport of an individual in a safe and timely manner, when necessary;

(e) Document whether the individual has a crisis plan and any request to obtain the crisis plan;

(f) Develop and implement policies and procedures for training staff to identify and assist individuals in crisis before assigning the staff member unsupervised duties; and

(g) Maintain a current list of local resources for referrals, legal, employment, education, interpreter and social and health services.

(2) An agency providing crisis support services for substance use disorder must ensure a professional appropriately credentialed to provide substance use disorder treatment is available or on staff 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

(3) When services are provided in a private home or nonpublic setting, the agency must:

(a) Have a written plan for training, staff back-up, information sharing and communication for staff members who respond to a crisis in an individual's personal residence or in a nonpublic location;

(b) Ensure that a staff member responding to a crisis is able to be accompanied by a second trained individual when services are provided in the individual's personal residence or other nonpublic location;

(c) Ensure that any staff member who engages in home visits is provided access, by their employer, to a wireless telephone or comparable device for the purpose of emergency communication;

(d) Provide staff members who are sent to a personal residence or other nonpublic location to evaluate an individual in crisis, prompt access to information about any history of dangerousness or potential dangerousness on the individual they are being sent to evaluate that is documented in a crisis plan(s) or commitment record(s). This information must be made available without unduly delaying the crisis response.