Urgent need, crisis, or Virginia service breakdown
Get immediate Virginia crisis help
Use 911 for immediate danger or 988 for behavioral-health crisis and REACH connection.
Official sources checked 2026-07-25
Start here
Call or text 988Before you start
- Current location, immediate safety risk, medical needs, developmental-disability information, communication needs, medications, and a safe callback number when possible.
Who to contact
911 handles emergency response; 988 connects to trained crisis workers and Virginia crisis services, including REACH.
Step by step
- Call 911 when emergency medical, fire, or police response is needed.
- Call or text 988 for mental-health or behavioral-health crisis support and ask about Virginia REACH for a person with a developmental disability.
- Tell responders about communication, sensory, behavioral, medical, and caregiver information relevant to safe response.
- After immediate danger is addressed, notify the support coordinator and provider and request a documented follow-up plan.
Expected next
Immediate triage or emergency response, followed when appropriate by referral, stabilization, or a documented follow-up plan.
Save this proof
Date and time, number called, responder or team, disposition, instructions, incident documentation, and follow-up contacts.
If this stalls or the answer is no
If risk continues or escalates, call 911 or 988 again; ask the support coordinator to document the crisis and needed service changes.
Beyond Childhood planning aid
Crisis handoff facts
Share concise facts that help responders support the person safely.
- Immediate risk
- Location
- Communication
- Sensory needs
- Known triggers
- Medical needs
- Current supports
- Safe contact
Derived from Virginia Crisis Services
Official resources
Limits
Beyond Childhood does not provide crisis services. Public webpages cannot determine which response is safe in a specific emergency.
Beyond Childhood’s checklists and prompts are planning aids derived from official sources. They are not official forms, legal advice, eligibility decisions, or guarantees of funding, capacity, quality, or service.