Intervening in Times of Crisis

Is your child or teen experiencing a mental health crisis? For emergent help when health and safety are an immediate concern, contact 911 or 211 Lifeline. 

Community providers initiating a Mental Health Transport should call 911/211, and then contact Rochester Regional Health's Crisis Intervention Unit (CIU) at (585) 922-7333 to initiate emergency care. Additional questions regarding RGH's CIU can be directed to (585) 922-0870.

For families living in Ontario, Wayne, Seneca, or Yates Counties – Rochester Regional Health's Finger Lakes Comprehensive Psychiatric Emergency Program (FLCPEP) provides psychiatric evaluation and mobile crisis services for children and teens currently in crisis. For questions about FLCPEP's services, please contact (315) 462-1080.

Home Based Crisis Intervention

Rochester Regional Health's Home Based Crisis Intervention (HBCI) Program provides 24-hour crisis intervention for families with a child or youth at imminent risk of psychiatric hospitalization. Our services are free, but you must reside within Monroe or Ontario County to be enrolled. It is our goal to provide short-term (4-8 weeks) of intensive, in-home crisis intervention services to families in crisis.

Program Goals

During your 4 – 8 weeks of enrollment, we will provide an alternative to hospitalization through intense interventions and the teaching of new coping and parenting skills. Our target population is families with a child or youth ages 5 to 17 who are experiencing a psychiatric crisis so severe that unless effective, immediate intervention is provided, the child will be admitted to a psychiatric hospital for stabilization. 

Our goals are: 

1. To prevent psychiatric hospitalization of children and youths between the ages of 5 and 17. Transition-aged youth (ages 18-20) will be considered on an individual, case-by-case basis.
2. To assist the family in stabilizing the crisis situation.
3. To improve child and parent interactions through the teachings of various skills.
4. To collaborate with the youth’s outpatient therapist in order to supplement ongoing treatment.
5. To assist the family in exploring and utilizing community resources in order to decrease the likelihood of a similar crisis occurring.
6. If a psychiatric hospitalization cannot be averted, to assist in the development of a plan that will meet the health and safety needs of the youth.

Please note that HBCI does not maintain a waitlist for our services due to the quickly changing needs of families in crisis.

Program Cost

Services are provided through funds from the New York State Office of Mental Health and are free to all eligible families who live in Monroe or Ontario County.

Contact Us 

If you're a parent or caregiver looking for this level of support, please ask your child's outpatient mental health therapist to email the HBCI Program Manager, or call (585) 922-8040.

If you’re a Behavioral Health provider and would like to refer a patient to the Home Based Intervention Program, please email the HBCI Program Manager, or call (585) 922-8040.