In September, Jasmine Burke, a paramedic with the Highland Rescue Team Ambulance District in Colorado, responded to a 911 call for someone with suicidal thoughts. That is all that anyone can know about the case, she says, ultimately leaving the patient with back-up. But the call itself represents a growing trend in rural areas where behavioral health emergencies have strained the capacity of local emergency services. “We get calls like this all of the time with psychiatric emergencies, suic...
