Her Story
About Brittany
I started my career in criminal justice, working at Camp Hill State Prison doing drug and alcohol counseling with inmates. When the pandemic hit in 2020, the prison wasn't following CDC guidelines and my doctor advised me to leave due to my health issues. That's when I transitioned into healthcare, which was one of the only fields hiring at the time. Now I work as a mobile crisis intervention counselor, and my position really combines both worlds. I'm funded by the county but employed by WellSpan, and I'm connected to dispatch who tracks my geo-location at all times. I get dispatched into the community to address behavioral health crises, working alongside state police, city police, and EMT teams. I assess people experiencing suicidal or homicidal thoughts, or those having hallucinations, right where they are instead of waiting to get them to a hospital. I can petition 302s for mandated mental health evaluations and work with the county delegate to issue warrants when necessary, but I always try to convince people to come in voluntarily first. I answer the county crisis line, track down people who call in distress, and go out into the field to meet them. I follow through from start to finish, meeting clients in the field, traveling with them to the hospital, advocating for them with ER doctors, and following up the next day. I've built strong rapport with police officers, EMTs, and ER doctors, and they really listen to my field assessments. My goal is to bridge the gap between law enforcement and healthcare, to slow down situations that might otherwise escalate, and to get people the mental health care they truly need.
Her Interview
Ten minutes with Brittany
01What do you attribute your success to?
I attribute my success to my ability to bridge gaps and build rapport across different systems. I think it's about being able to approach police officers, EMTs, hospital staff, and clients in crisis with respect and finding ways to work together. We're like the string that ties the knot together and makes it all function. I've created bridges of rapport with the hospital, with the police, and with the EMTs, and that's what allows me to be effective. It's about meeting people where they're at, whether that's a client in crisis or an officer who needs to step back from a situation. I'm not afraid to have those conversations where I say, let's figure out how we can work together to make all of our jobs easier. And I follow through on everything, from the field to the hospital to the next day, which builds trust with everyone involved.
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