, needing elder care, or assistance for a family member with special needs. Some routine callers dialed multiple times a day, using the hotline service as a substitute for other social relationships.
Most crises were resolved by phone. It is utterly amazing how much relief empathy alone can provide. These interactions were even more powerful and productive when coupled with step-by-step action plans so our clients could move forward in managing their own lives. Oftentimes, we’d dispatch from our call center in teams of two and meet our clients in their homes, fast food restaurants, and even open fields or the side of a road.
Hearing clients renewed with hope and confidence after our interactions was a stronger fuel to stay in this work than the office coffee maker could ever produce. Sometimes, however, despite our best efforts, problems still loomed and resources were just not available or had waitlists too long to be practical. For psychiatric emergencies, a lone after-hours walk-in clinic served the entirety of the massive Dallas County, plus five more.
Less than nine months prior to the nationwide call to divert many of these duties away from police departments and to mental health and social work professionals, the organization I worked for shuttered after losing its funding.
911 Caller: HELP someone is trying to break in to my home!!! 911 Operator: Thoughts and Prayers are being sent your way, along with a Social Worker.
This is so important in all cases in which we expect employees to help in crises. In Fairfield, we employ a social worker focused on serving the homeless.I want to expand use of social workers, perhaps w/county resources.
“Hard, unpredictable work”.... 🤔 I wonder who we could call on to perform that kind of job? 👮🏻♀️👮🏾👮🏼♂️👮🏻♂️
I have a friend that is an EMT. She said there is SO much politics in EMS here in Atlanta. Certain ambulance companies won't hire you if you worked for X company or will claim you don't have enough experience-in the meantime, patients are dying!!