Dr. Margie Balfour Receives Top Professional Award
Margaret “Margie” Balfour, MD, PhD, University of Arizona College of Medicine – Tucson associate professor in the Department of Psychiatry, received the Behavioral Healthcare Professional of the Year award at the 2021 Crisis Intervention Team (CIT) International Convention for her ongoing work in crisis intervention and law enforcement.
“This award means a lot because it validates the great collaboration between law enforcement and the behavioral health crisis system in Tucson and Pima County,” Dr. Balfour said.
Margaret “Margie” Balfour, MD, PhD
Dr. Balfour also is chief of quality and clinical innovation at Connections Health Solutions, an organization that provides behavioral health crisis care to those in need. Connections Health Solutions operates and manages the Tucson Crisis Response Center (CRC), which Dr. Balfour oversees as the clinical leader. The CRC is an observation and evaluation facility that provides help to people experiencing various types of crises. Today, Tucson’s Crisis Response Center is the centerpiece of a premier crisis system in the U.S. and hosts visitors from across the country seeking to learn about best practices in crisis care.
Dr. Balfour said that interest in crisis systems like Tucson’s has increased as communities prepare for the rollout of a new three-digit number for mental health emergencies. “Beginning in July 2022, anyone in crisis will be able to dial 9-8-8 for help. This has the potential to transform behavioral health crisis care the way 9-1-1 did for emergency medical services and trauma care.”
Tucson Police Department sergeant Jason Winsky, head of the department’s mental health investigative support team, nominated Dr. Balfour for the award. “Without Dr. Balfour and the Crisis Response Center, our police-led diversion programs would not be a success. Their easy drop-off and no wrong door policy ensure that law enforcement can get the right people to the right treatment at the right time,” said Winsky.
In addition, Dr. Balfour works closely with the Southern Arizona CIT to develop and update its curriculum and deliver training to first responders on how to help individuals in crises instead of arresting them. She has been working with Tucson law enforcement to help make behavioral health treatment a practical option. Dr. Balfour explained, “Law enforcement are often the default first-responders for mental health emergencies, and CIT training gives them the tools they need to de-escalate these situations safely and compassionately. Then they need a place to bring people for treatment. The CRC makes it easy for them to do that by accepting anyone they bring to us and getting officers back on the street in less than 10 minutes, which is faster than taking the person to jail. Facilities like the CRC are an important part of making the CIT model work.”
The CIT program is a police and first-responder training model that helps individuals with mental health disorders or addiction access medical treatment rather than placing them in the criminal justice system. The Behavioral Healthcare Professional of the Year award recognizes a person who demonstrates exemplary, ongoing commitment to being actively involved with CIT community partnerships and who works to improve access to services within their own system or with the community mental health system.
Dr. Balfour also was recently named a distinguished fellow of the American Psychiatric Association. Other honors and awards she has received include the Women of Influence: Healthcare Champion Award in 2019 from Tucson Local Media/Inside Tucson Business, the Tucson Police Department’s Medal of Honor in 2018, and Doctor of the Year in 2017 from the National Council for Behavioral Health.
If you or someone you know is in crisis, you can call your local crisis line at 520-622-6000 (Pima) or 602-222-9444 (Maricopa) or the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255).