Former Spirit Squad Member, Alumna Works to Decrease Mental Health Crisis Arrests

For Carli Gable’s capstone project, the MHA graduate and former Spirit Squad member worked with CEO of Davis Behavioral Health, Brandon Hatch, and local law enforcement to improve the use of The Receiving Center. This center provides short-term crisis response care for those experiencing mental health emergencies. The center aims to work with local law enforcement to offer people treatment instead of an immediate arrest.

Through Hatch’s initial work, Gable noticed that the previous feedback system was primarily focused on updating law enforcement when patients denied treatment. Gable worked to move this to a positive reinforcement model where officers were instead provided feedback reports, thank-you letters and success stories. “These success stories show how police referrals have helped people in crisis, encouraging officers to use mental health resources instead of criminal charges when appropriate,” said Gable.

“We went into this with the goal of keeping people out of jail who didn’t belong there based on their mental illness,” said Hatch.

Hatch documented a 22 percent increase in law enforcement mental health referrals after Gable’s initiatives. “I almost cried when he told me– knowing that we achieved that in just three weeks of intense work was incredible,” said Gable. “We went into this with the goal of keeping people out of jail who didn’t belong there based on their mental illness.”

The Receiving Center at Davis Behavioral Health resides in Layton, Utah. This center is the first in the country to offer a pure division. A pure division means that if someone is brought to The Receiving Center by law enforcement and accepts treatment, they might never be charged with the alleged crimes committed.

Check out the Davis Behavioral Health website to learn more.

For further information on the capstone project or any other career development opportunities, contact MHA Program Director Dr. Darcy Carter.