On October 14, 2016, the Hampton Roads Disabilities Board (HRDB), a regional organization supported by the HRPDC, hosted, Crisis Intervention Teams: How First Responders Address the Mentally Disabled in the Regional Board Room.  The symposium provided an overview of Crisis Intervention Teams (CIT) programs and how they respond to a crisis and create positive outcomes and avert tragedies.

Over 80 attendees filled the Board Room to learn how Virginia Beach’s CIT program was developed and the skills needed to improve relations between the community, mental health organizations and individuals living with mental illness. A CIT program provides an avenue for the development of community partnerships and the collaboration of working together for community interest of service and care.

In addition, the city of Virginia Beach also provided a presentation and overview of its Project Lifesaver Program.  Project Lifesaver is a national proactive, electronic tracking, program used to assist in locating people with Alzheimer's disease and related disorders or children with Downs Syndrome or Autism Spectrum Disorder that wander from home and become lost.

The Symposium was video recorded and is available on the HRPDC’s YouTube channel. Click HERE to go directly to the video.