This document provides a review of the available research on the implementation and impact of emergency medical service and ambulance-based programs for crisis response.
This research review on the implementation and impact of emergency medical service (EMS) and ambulance-based programs for crisis response, focusing on those programs’ impacts and interactions with individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD), behavioral health (BH) conditions, and substance use disorders. The document is divided into four sections: the first section presents the definition and implementation of EMS and ambulance-based responses; the second section reviews studies examining cost savings and the impact of EMS and ambulance-based response programs on individuals’ connection to services and the use of EMS, hospital, and criminal justice resources; the third section addresses stakeholders’ views of EMS and ambulance-based response programs from the perspectives of service providers and service users; and the fourth section provides a discussion of the findings, with specific attention to implications for the practice and directions for future research. The document concludes that these EMS and ambulance-based response programs can result in a large number of diversions from emergency departments and, as a result, achieve substantial cost savings; there is some hesitation surrounding the programs, however participants largely reported positive experiences, although more research is necessary to assess the programs’ long-term impact on patients.