Sweetwater County is setting the example for the rest of Wyoming as a Virtual Crisis Care program is implemented across the state. The Sheriff’s Office and Sweetwater County police departments are already using the program that enables officers to immediately connect people in crisis with mental health professionals. “Even the best-trained deputy isn’t a clinician. That’s where Virtual Crisis Care has the potential to change everything,” shares Sweetwater County Sheriff John Grossnickle. “Now, a deputy in the field can hand someone a tablet, and in minutes, they’re face-to-face with a licensed mental health professional who has specialized in trauma risk.” Grossnickle calls Virtual Crisis Care a life-saving tool unlike anything ever before available out in the field. “It’s not just about reducing emergency detentions or hospital transports,” he says. “We’re talking about offering dignity and restoring hope, about meeting people with the kind of help they need in the moment that they need it most.”
