Urgent need, crisis, or service breakdown
Get DC crisis help
Use the emergency or behavioral-health route that matches the immediate situation.
Official sources checked 2026-07-25
Start here
Call the DC Access HelpLineBefore you start
- Current location, immediate danger, medical needs, communication needs, disability information, medications, triggers, calming supports, and emergency contacts when available.
Who to contact
911, the DC DBH Access HelpLine at 1-888-793-4357, and the DDA Duty Officer at 202-498-9077 for after-hours DDA emergencies.
Step by step
- Call 911 when there is immediate danger or a medical emergency.
- For psychiatric or emotional crisis, call the 24/7 Access HelpLine at 1-888-793-4357; it can activate mobile crisis teams.
- After immediate safety is addressed, notify the Service Coordinator; DDS also publishes an after-hours DDA Duty Officer number, 202-498-9077.
Expected next
Emergency response, crisis triage, mobile crisis, referral, or DDA follow-up based on the situation.
Save this proof
Call time, responder, instructions, incident or reference number, safety plan, discharge record, and follow-up contacts.
If this stalls or the answer is no
If immediate safety remains at risk, call 911 again; for continuing psychiatric or emotional crisis, recontact the Access HelpLine.
Beyond Childhood planning aid
Crisis information card
A Beyond Childhood planning aid derived from the official sources named below.
- Communication method
- Medical conditions
- Medications
- Triggers
- Calming supports
- Safety risks
- Emergency contacts
- Service Coordinator
Derived from DC Behavioral Health Access HelpLine, Services for People with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities
Official resources
Limits
This guide does not replace emergency, clinical, or safety advice. Responders determine the intervention.
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.