In April 2025, Alamance County launched an innovative mental health crisis hub offering immediate, no-cost support to individuals facing behavioral health emergencies. Located in central North Carolina, this facility includes walk-in urgent care, a peer-led “living room” space, and a 16-bed inpatient unit — all designed to divert individuals from jails and emergency rooms.

Since opening, the center has seen rising utilization, with monthly visits increasing from 720 in October to 980 in January. Most notably, data shows that 90% of those who accessed the center would have otherwise ended up in jail or the ER. This shift marks a powerful example of community-based care working as intended.

Fast, Compassionate Support — Not Handcuffs

One of the most transformative elements? Time and dignity. Law enforcement officers can now transfer individuals in crisis to the hub within 30 minutes — a process that used to take several hours at traditional emergency departments.

The center also deploys a mobile crisis team and provides a calming, non-clinical peer support space. These changes reduce burnout for first responders and offer a more respectful, trauma-informed experience for individuals in crisis.

Ethical Leadership Beyond the Numbers

While metrics like ER diversion and faster response times are critical, they don’t tell the full story. In the fields of mental health, substance use, and intellectual/developmental disability (MH/SU/IDD) services, real success is measured in trust, safety, and long-term change — not just numbers on a dashboard.

At Scales Training Company LLC, we help leaders go deeper by asking:

  • Was dignity maintained?
  • Did staff apply trauma-informed training with empathy and cultural sensitivity?
  • Did the client feel safe, heard, and respected?

This is where ethical leadership makes the difference. It’s not about cutting corners to hit compliance targets — it’s about holding teams accountable for how  they show up in moments of crisis.

Training Human Service Professionals to Lead With Integrity

Our CEU-accredited trainings for North Carolina DHHS-licensed providers equip staff with real-world tools for crisis intervention, de-escalation, and behavioral health compliance. We train your teams to respond consistently, ethically, and effectively — building cultures of safety that support both staff and the people they serve.

If your agency operates in North Carolina, Tennessee, or Arkansas, and you’re looking to deepen your impact, our training solutions are built for you.

While Scales Training Company currently provides behavioral health and compliance training across North Carolina, Tennessee, and Arkansas, we proudly welcome opportunities to support organizations in any location across the U.S.

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