Crisis Intervention

What is the Crisis Intervention Services?

The Division of Substance Abuse and Mental Health offers a continuum of Crisis Intervention Services.  These services are located throughout the State in Community Mental Health Centers, Detoxification Centers , and Emergency Rooms. Crisis Intervention Service (CIS) staff are available 24 hours a day to assist people, 18 years and older, with severe personal, family or marital problems.  These problems may include depression, major life changes such as unemployment or loss of an important relationship, anxiety, feelings of hopelessness, thoughts of suicide, delusions, paranoia and substance abuse.

The goal of CIS is the prevention of unnecessary or inappropriate hospitalizations of a person with a mental illness or substance related problems.  By providing services in the community, CIS staff can better assess the consumer's environment, support systems and current level of functioning, and thereby, gain a clear understanding of services that will be needed in order to develop a thorough treatment plan.

Services Statewide

CIS operates programs statewide and may be accessed through the following channels:

New Castle County:

The New Castle office is located at 14 Central Avenue; New Castle Delaware.  It is staffed 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.  This office covers all of New Castle County and is staffed to provide field and office visits. You may access the unit by calling (302) 577-2484, or 1-800-652-2929.

CIS Staff are also co-located in The Wilmington Hospital’s, Emergency Department as part of a joint venture with Christiana Care Health Systems and the Division of Substance Abuse and Mental Health. This unit named C.A.P.E.S (Crisis and Psychiatric Emergency Services) may be reached by dialing (302) 428-2118 .

Kent and SussexCounty :

CIS staff in these counties work 12 pm to 8 am Monday - Friday and 24 hours on weekend and holidays. They are located in Milford and Ellendale to provide adequate response times to all areas of Kent and Sussex County.

During normal business hours staff assigned to the Georgetown Community Mental Health Center (CMHC) and the Dover CMHC Front Door Teams will handle crisis calls.  Staff may be accessed toll free by calling 1-800-345-6785 .

Georgetown Mental Health Center:  546 S. Bedford Street; Georgetown , Delaware. (302) 856-5490

Dover Mental Health Center: 805 River Road; Dover, Delaware. (302) 739-4275

Additional Numbers:

Newark (Stockton Building ) CMHC  (302) 453-4101

Community Mental Health Center 809 Washington Street; Wilmington, Delaware.(302) 577-6490