Resources

DBHIDS has put together a list of resources to help people connect with the right professional, peer, social, community-based and self-help care. These resources include important phone numbers and supports found in Philadelphia’s neighborhoods. Additional resources include public health initiatives, as well as a list of behavioral health articles and information. Don't see what you're looking for?  Feel free to send us an email at [email protected] so we can talk about getting it on here!

Community Event Resource Support
Local Treatment Resources
Additional Resource Information
General DBHIDS Resource Information

Community Event Resource Support

Are you hosting a community event? Would you like DBHIDS to participate?

Request Community Event Support

Local Treatment Resources

Get Connected to Services: If you or someone you know would like to talk with a caring person who can help with connecting to behavioral health treatment, please call Member Services at 1-888-545-2600. Member Services operates the toll-free help line for Philadelphia’s Department of Behavioral Health & Intellectual disAbility Services. It can be reached 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. Representatives carefully listen to each caller's concerns, and then direct people to behavioral health resources, emergency services and treatment programs. Members Services staff often connect with other social service agencies in Philadelphia to make sure everyone is talking and working together.

Do you have private insurance?  Look on the back of your card for your Member Services number and contact them for behavioral health information.  In addition, here are some commonly used phone numbers:

  • Cigna: 1-888-259-6279
  • Aetna: 1-800-872-3862
  • Independence Blue Cross: 1-800-275-2583
  • United Health Care: 1-800-841-1978

Get Help Immediately: If you feel that you need help immediately due to a crisis or feeling “out of control”, you can:

1) Call the Philadelphia Suicide Prevention Hotline at 215-686-4420 (24/7)

2) Talk to someone at Acute Services at 215-685-6440

3) Walk in any time of the day or night to one of Philadelphia’s five Crisis Response Centers (CRC):

  • Einstein Medical Center – Germantown Community Center (this center is the only CRC that sees both children & adults)
    215-951-8300 | 1 Penn Blvd (Wister & Chew)
  • Mercy Hospital
    215-748-9525 | 501 South 54th Street
  • Pennsylvania Hospital (Hall Mercer)
    215-829-5433 | 8th and Locust Streets
  • Temple/Episcopal Hospital
    215-707-2577 | 100 East Lehigh Avenue
  • Friends Hospital
    215-831-4600 or 800-889-0548 | 4641 Roosevelt Blvd. (near Adams Avenue)

Talk to Someone Who Understands: Sometimes it also helps to talk to a person who understands first-hand what you are going through. The Philadelphia Warmline is staffed by Certified Peer Specialists (people with similar life experience), and offers a friendly, sincere and non-judgmental “listening ear” to callers. Warmline staff can connect callers to resources, teach callers coping skills, empower callers, provide options for crisis services, reduce hospitalizations, and instill hope. The Warmline phone number is 1-855-507-9276, and it is available Monday through Friday from 4PM to 7PM.

Additional Resource Information

Providers/Services: There is helpful information for anyone interested in learning more about behavioral health conditions, treatment programs and other resources at Philadelphia’s Network of Care website.  Just click here: Philadelphia.PA.NetworkofCare.org/mh

Family: 

– If a family member or someone you know is experiencing a behavioral health challenge, you can also call the Family Resource Network at 215-546-0300, extension 3259 or visit them at www.FRNfamilies.org

– Here is a good resource to help a parent or guardian build resilience in their child: http://www.apa.org/topics/parenting/tip-tool-brochure.pdf

Youth: If you are a youth/adolescent or you know a youth/adolescent who needs support, check out Reach Out, a great website that provides resources, message boards and more.  Check it out here: http://us.reachout.com

Veterans: Are you, or someone you know, in need of resources for veterans?  Contact the Philadelphia VA Medical Center:

Philadelphia VA Medical Center

3900 Woodland Ave, Philadelphia, PA 19104

(215) 823-5800 / (800) 949-1001

or visit them at www.Philadelphia.VA.gov

Smoking Cessation and Support: If you, a family member, or someone you know is interested in smoking cessation resources and information, please check out the following links:

Hoarding: If you, a family member, or someone you know is struggling with hoarding, visit the Philadelphia Hoarding Task Force at www.PhiladelphiaHoarding.org for information, help and hotline numbers.

Gambling: If you, a family member, or someone you know is struggling with gambling, contact the Council on Compulsive Gambling of Pennsylvania at any of the following numbers: 800-848-1880 for Pennsylvania resources; 800-GAMBLER for regional resources; 800-522-4700 for national resources or 877-565-2112, or visit www.PAcouncil.com for more resources and referral information. 

Homelessness: Are you, or someone you know, experiencing homelessness?  Project Home (www.projecthome.org) has many resources, including a Where to Turn Guide.  This guide provides information for individuals seeking a meal, housing, shower, or other supports.   Go to https://projecthome.org/sites/projecthome.org/files/ResourceGuide%203%2031%202015_2.pdf for more.

Trauma-informed: The Philadelphia Alliance for Child Trauma Services (PACTS) website is a resource for caregivers, community members and children to access general information about trauma and to learn where to go for information about trauma-focused treatment services in Philadelphia.  It is also a place where someone can learn about the signs and symptoms of trauma and gain access to the multiple trauma education resources available through the National Child Traumatic Stress Network (NCTSN) and other trauma specific sites.  Go to http://www.philadelphiapacts.org for more.

Acceptance: B Stigma-Free seeks to reduce stigma by fostering “understanding and respect of people perceived as having a difference, such as an attribute, trait or disability.”  They seek to encourage social change through education and awareness.  Check them out at http://bstigmafree.org/.

General DBHIDS Resource Information

+ Public Education / Health Promotion

Public education around behavioral health issues is necessary to promote overall health and well-being. Through partnerships with community based agencies and connecting with public leaders, DBHIDS works to promote the health of Philadelphians by supporting initiatives that strengthen individuals, families and communities.

Community-Based Coalition Initiative

The community coalitions each work in areas of the city where there are significant numbers of children, youth, and families who may be considered vulnerable in terms of their prospects for living in a safe, healthy, stable and supportive environment. The coalitions are comprised of community and faith-based organizations, primary healthcare providers and licensed behavioral healthcare treatment providers, as well as additional community stakeholders such as local politicians, police, block captains, athletic coaches, and schools.  
For more information, contact Anthony McLaughlin: [email protected]

+ Faith and Spiritual Affairs: Mary L. Harper: [email protected]
+ Mural Arts Initiative – The Porch Light Program: MuralArts.org/programs/porch-light

+ Prevention/Early Intervention

The earlier we intervene with behavioral health issues, the faster we are able to provide professional care as a community. This requires paying attention to social determinants of health, which include the availability of support, experiences of trauma, access to behavioral health care, educational and economic opportunities, and the social and physical environment. We do this by partnering with city agencies including the criminal justice, housing, school, and child welfare systems, as well as the behavioral health treatment system and the general public.

+ Community Response Teams: [email protected]
+ Crisis Intervention Training: Michele Dowell: [email protected]
+ Homeless Outreach: [email protected]

+ Evidence-based Practices

DBHIDS recognizes that effective and innovative practices are essential components of a resilience- and recovery-oriented behavioral health system. Evidence-based practices (EBPs) are practices that have been demonstrated, through research, to help individuals by reducing symptoms of behavioral health challenges and improving overall functioning. Until recently few of these practices were available in community behavioral health settings. DBHIDS is committed to ensuring that these effective, “state-of-the-art” treatments are a part of the array of services and supports available to individuals who need them.

The “evidence” that a particular practice is effective is collected through research studies that measure the outcomes of that practice. When there is an accumulation of evidence showing that a particular practice achieves improved outcomes, it can be considered an evidence-based practice.

Some practices have not been evaluated through these types of rigorous research studies, but have shown some success in improving outcomes through other types of evaluations. These practices may warrant further evaluation and may be beneficial for individuals in our community. Therefore, DBHIDS encourages an expanded view of a continuum of evidence for the effectiveness of a practice.

The Evidence-based Practice and Innovation Center (EPIC)

EPIC at DBHIDS was established in 2013 to advance system-wide efforts to support the implementation, sustainability and accessibility of behavioral health EBPs in Philadelphia.

Activities of EPIC include: providing education and resources about EBPs, supporting DBHIDS EBP Initiatives, identifying key strategies for successful implementation in community settings and aligning operational and fiscal policies to optimize the impact of these practices.

+ Director: [email protected]
+ Operations: Shawna Weaver: [email protected]
+ EPIC Email: [email protected]

For more information about the evidence-based practices available in Philadelphia please visit: DBHIDS | EPIC  

+ Behavioral Health Articles and Information

Or come visit us at http://www.dbhids.org/ for more information. In case of an emergency, you can also dial The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 800-273-8255 or 911 or go to your local emergency room.