Crisis Services

24-Hour Emotional Support and Crisis Line

24-Hour Crisis Line 863.519.3744

Toll-free Phone Number 800.627.5906

Text to Chat Crisis Line: Send “Talk” to 863.204.3443

To request Peace River Center’s policy on the continuum of crisis prevention, including crisis prevention, response, and postvention services, please email us.

Crisis Line

Peace River Center provides a free, 24-hour crisis line for anyone experiencing emotional distress, mental health challenges, or urge to use substances.

Peace River Center’s text and chat crisis line initiative is made possible by an Impact Polk grant from the George W. Jenkins Fund within the GiveWell Community Foundation. Please note the Chat feature is designed for mobile browsers on a computer. If you are using a mobile device, please text “TALK” to 863.204.3443.

Click the link below to start a chat with a Peace River Center counselor. The Chat works best when accessed through a computer. To text us instead send “TALK” to 863.204.3443. If you need to speak to someone, please call us at 863.519.3744.

GiveWell Impact Polk

hands dialing phone

Reasons to Call

Below are just a few examples of reasons to call. If you’re unsure about whether to call, call us anyway!

Emotional distress
Low self-esteem with feelings of hopelessness or helplessness
Suffered a recent significant loss
Speaks about suicide and/or previous attempts
Makes direct comments about dying or hurting self
Evidence of previous attempts such as scars on the wrist

Disconnected speech patterns
Lack of concentration
Disoriented to time or place
Neglects household, property or personal hygiene—to the point of putting self/others at risk
Urge to use alcohol/drugs

Mobile Crisis Response Team (MCRT)

The Mobile Crisis Response Team is available 24/7 in Polk, Hardee, and Highlands Counties. It is a free mobile, mental health and crisis outreach service designed to provide immediate on-site crisis assessment and intervention by phone, mobile response, or walk-in at the Bartow or Lakeland Crisis Stabilization Unit.

The MCRT provides counseling, linkage, referral, and post-crisis follow-up contact as needed. MCRT promotes crisis resolution and evaluation and arranges for inpatient psychiatric hospitalization as appropriate and necessary. However, the purpose of the MCRT is to decrease involuntary psychiatric inpatient admissions of individuals who would be better served by other community resources.

The MCRT is available for emotional support, mental health help, and for those struggling with urges to use alcohol and drugs. The team can provide mental health support following critical incidents such as hostage situations, school violence, sudden loss of life, or other trauma-related incidents.

man driving hands on steering wheel

Locations:

1255 Golfview Ave, Bartow, FL 33830
715 N Lake Ave, Lakeland, FL 33801

Crisis Line:

863.519.3744 or toll-free: 800.627.5906

Mobile Crisis Response Team Info

Services are provided 24 hours a day,
365 days a year.

The Crisis Response Team offers mental health support to schools, the community and other service providers following critical incidents such as hostage situations, school violence, sudden loss of a teacher or fellow student.

The Crisis Response Team manages a 24-hour a day crisis telephone line.

Crisis Stabilization Unit (CSU)

Peace River Center’s licensed and accredited inpatient receiving facilities also known as Crisis Stabilization Units are located in Bartow and Lakeland. The CSU offers short-term, intensive, psychiatric stabilization, evaluation, and discharges planning services to individuals in need of emergency treatment. These secure units provide individuals under Florida’s Baker Act (mental health commitment law) with services including group counseling, medication management, recovery education, discharge planning, referrals, and family education. Individuals are assessed and may be admitted voluntarily or involuntarily until the mental health emergency is stabilized and continuing care referrals are made. The average length of stay from time of admission to discharge is typically less than four days; however, there are exceptions.

Peace River Center is the only inpatient public Baker Act receiving facilities serving individuals of all ages in Polk, Highlands and Hardee counties. Peace River Center’s Crisis Stabilization Units are open 24 hours a day/365 days a year and are licensed by the Agency for Healthcare Administration (AHCA) and accredited by The Joint Commission. The Bartow CSU is licensed for 30 adult and child beds. The Lakeland CSU is licensed for 20 adult and child beds.

Admission Criteria

A person may be taken to a receiving facility for involuntary examination if there is a reason to believe that he or she has a mental illness (as defined in the Baker Act) and because of his or her mental illness:

The person has refused voluntary examination after conscientious explanation and disclosure of the purpose of the examination.
Without care or treatment, the person is likely to suffer from neglect or refuse to care for himself or herself.
There is a substantial likelihood that without care or treatment the person will cause serious bodily harm to self or others in the near future.

Need help? Click here for instructions on Inpatient Unit Transfers.

Lakeland Crisis Stabilization Unit

Locations:

1255 Golfview Ave, Bartow, FL 33830
715 N Lake Ave, Lakeland, FL 33801

Phone:

To inquire about someone at the Bartow or Lakeland Crisis Stabilization Unit, please call 863.519.0575 and select option “3”.

Community Mobile Support Team (CMST)

Community Mobile Support Team (CMST) counselors are located within local law enforcement substations/departments to help reduce recidivism of Baker Acts, Florida’s Mental Health Law. CMST counselors follow up with individuals law enforcement have placed under a Baker Act. This follow-up is conducted within 10 days of the Baker Act being initiated. CMST’s goal is to reduce Baker Acts and reduce inpatient care for those individuals who are better served at a lower level of care. If law enforcement comes in contact with an individual who does not meet Baker Act criteria, but needs mental health assistance, law enforcement can call the CMST counselor to respond, assess, and provide the appropriate referral to services. This process allows law enforcement to return to calls more appropriate for their specific training and response. CMST services are available seven days a week and require collaboration with local law enforcement to provide the best services for this population, without requiring co-response or duplicating efforts. Learn more: PeaceRiverCenter.org/cmst.

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