Eastpointe helps train area first responders in Duplin County

Pictured: CIT graduates on March 4, 2022, at Lenoir Community College.

Beulaville, NC - On March 4, Eastpointe, and its community partners completed Crisis Intervention Team (CIT) training for 11 Kinston Police Department officers as well as representatives from the Caswell Developmental Center and Pender County EMS.  

The training was held at Lenoir Community College. 

CIT trainee, and Kinston Police Officer, Hailey Daniels noted that her experience helped her learn “how to better provide people in crisis with resources to help them with the struggles that they are facing.” 

Helping first responders better recognize citizens dealing with a mental health challenge or an intellectual or developmental disability, teaching them how to de-escalate stressful situations, and ensuring they can connect those in crisis with the right resources are the skills CIT develops.  

The week-long training includes role-playing scenarios first responders may encounter in the field and roundtable discussions with citizens with behavioral health challenges. The goal of these techniques is to learn to respond with empathy after recognizing a behavioral health issue.

Eastpointe’s Chief of Regulations and Compliance, Theresa Moody, noted that “educating our communities on behavioral health issues so they can provide a safe, supportive environment for our members is at the core of our mission. The partnership we’ve developed with our first responders has helped us deliver on it.” 

Since it began coordinating CIT training sessions in 2008, Eastpointe and its partners have trained 1,581 first responders.