The state’s Department of Emergency Services and Public Protection has launched an initiative to help people in crisis, a step that was long overdue.

A call to actionThe department’s chief medical officer, Dr. Mark Cottrell, said in a statement that the department will “be using our resources to support people in their time of need and to identify the most effective and effective means of helping people in need.”

Cottrell said that the first step is to get people to a crisis center.

The department will then identify and train staff and doctors who will provide “in-person, telephone or face-to-face support to people experiencing crisis,” the statement said.

This includes training on how to administer a crisis intervention plan, including ways to ensure people are in a safe environment, how to ask questions about their situation and how to respond to concerns.

The department is also asking people to call 911 if they have a concern and they have been refused assistance, the statement added.

The program will help those who are experiencing crisis, but Cottell said that not everyone will be able to access the services.

He said that for the first two weeks, the department is asking for people to contact the crisis hotline at 1-800-772-4357.

The state has not yet decided how many people will be offered crisis services.