Reflecting on 2025’s Crisis Care Transformation and Our 2026 Vision
As we close out 2025 and look toward the year ahead, we’re grateful for the opportunity to work alongside crisis care leaders who are transforming how communities respond to behavioral health emergencies. This past year brought important conversations about what truly matters in crisis care— from measuring meaningful outcomes to ensuring people don’t fall through the cracks after their initial contact with crisis services.
Here’s a look back at insights we shared in 2025 and what we’re looking forward to in the months ahead.
2025 Insights That Shaped the Conversation
Crisis Care Continuity: How Connected Systems Save Lives and Advance Recovery
Crisis response shouldn’t end when the immediate emergency subsides. We explored how integrated crisis care systems create pathways to recovery by ensuring seamless transitions between crisis touchpoints and ongoing support services.
Measuring What Matters: Elevating Mobile Crisis Teams Beyond Diversion Rates
While diversion from emergency departments remains important, the true measure of mobile crisis effectiveness extends far beyond keeping people out of hospitals. We examined how comprehensive outcomes tracking reveals the full impact of mobile crisis intervention on long-term recovery and community safety.
The Experts Are In: Follow-up in Crisis Care Saves Lives
One of the most critical—and often overlooked—elements of effective crisis response is what happens after the initial contact. Dr. John Draper discusses why systematic follow-up isn’t just good practice; it’s a lifesaving intervention that closes dangerous gaps in crisis care.
Crisis Jam Episode 221: A Day in the Life of Crisis Care
Featuring Megan Gleason, Mobile Crisis Director, this Crisis Jam episode provided a ground-level view of what it takes to ensure “someone to respond” when crisis calls come in. The practical insights from frontline mobile crisis leadership offered valuable perspectives on the operational realities of building effective crisis response systems.
Looking Ahead to 2026: Partnership and Collaboration
The transformation of crisis care systems requires collaboration across state lines, disciplines, and sectors. That’s why we’re excited to partner with Recovery Innovations as a Diamond Sponsor at two pivotal gatherings for the crisis care field in 2026.
NASMHPD Annual Meeting 2026
The National Association of State Mental Health Program Directors Annual Meeting brings together the leaders responsible for shaping mental health policy and programs across all 50 states and U.S. territories. As state mental health systems work to implement 988 crisis response infrastructure and transform their crisis care continuum, this gathering provides essential opportunities for peer learning, policy development, and strategic partnerships that advance behavioral health care at the state and national level.
Crisis Now IV
The Crisis Now Summit has become the premier international gathering for crisis care innovation, bringing together practitioners, policymakers, technology partners, and lived experience advocates from across the United States and around the world. As the fourth iteration of this influential event, Crisis Now IV will continue to drive the global conversation on best practices in crisis response, with a particular focus on implementing the Crisis Now model’s core components: regional crisis call centers, mobile crisis teams, crisis receiving and stabilization facilities, and follow-up care after the crisis.
“Our partnership with Recovery Innovations reflects a shared commitment to supporting the leaders and practitioners who are building crisis systems that truly meet people where they are. These gatherings represent more than networking opportunities—they’re where the future of crisis care takes shape.” – Dr. Chuck Browning
We look forward to the conversations, collaborations, and innovations that will emerge from these important events.
Will we see you in 2026?
If you’re attending NASMHPD or Crisis Now IV, we’d love to connect. And if there are crisis care topics you’d like to see us explore in 2026, we’re always interested in hearing what’s on your mind.