Crisis mental health outreach services are face-to-face intervention services provided to assist individuals in a community setting. A community setting can be an individual's home, an emergency room, a nursing facility, or other private or public location.

(1) An agency certified to provide crisis outreach services must:

(a) Provide crisis telephone screening.

(b) Ensure face-to-face outreach services are provided by a mental health professional or a department-credentialed staff person with documented training in crisis response.

(c) Resolve the crisis in the least restrictive manner possible.

(2) An agency utilizing certified peer counselors to provide crisis outreach services must:

(a) Ensure services are provided by a person recognized by the health care authority as a peer counselor, as defined in WAC 246-341-0200;

(b) Ensure services provided by a peer counselor are within the scope of the peer counselor's training and credential;

(c) Ensure that a peer counselor responding to an initial crisis visit is accompanied by a mental health professional;

(d) Develop and implement policies and procedures for determining when peer counselors may provide follow-up crisis outreach services without being accompanied by a mental health professional; and

(e) Ensure peer counselors receive annual training that is relevant to their unique working environment.

(3) In addition to the documentation requirements in WAC 246-341-0900, documentation must include:

(a) The nature of the crisis;

(b) The time elapsed from the initial contact to the face-to-face response;

(c) The outcome, including the basis for a decision not to respond in person.