Lutheran Social Services of Illinois (LSSI) provides emergency assessment, evaluation and referral to treatment for persons with mental illness who are in crisis.

Through Project IMPACT (Intermediate Multidisciplinary Pre-Screening Assessment Crisis Team), workers are available 24/7 at Swedish Covenant Hospital’s Emergency Room in Chicago to stabilize crisis situations and ensure that individuals seeking assistance are free from harm to themselves and others. After screening and evaluating individuals, staff members recommend either emergency hospitalization or links to appropriate mental health and community services, detox centers and shelters.

Project IMPACT interacts with four outpatient mental health centers, including LSSI’s Portage-Cragin and Far Northwest centers, and two city clinics (Northwest Mental Health Center and North River Mental Health Center).

The SASS (Screening, Assessment and Support Services) program provides crisis intervention and follow-up services to children and adolescents experiencing a psychiatric crisis. Services are accessed through CARES, a statewide hotline number at 1-800-345-9049. Anyone can call CARES with a referral. If CARES determines the child is in crisis, they will send a SASS worker out to screen the child. The SASS worker determines if the child is in need of psychiatric hospitalization, and provides intensive follow-up services to the child and family for 90 days after the screen. LSSI provides SASS services to children and adolescents residing on the northwest side of Chicago.

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