Black Adults In Behavioral Health Crisis Are 17% More Likely To Be Restrained Or Sedated By Emergency Medical Service Encounters

Non-Hispanic Black adults in behavioral health crisis are 17% more likely than white adults to be physically restrained or chemically sedated during emergency medical service (EMS) encounters, according to recent analysis of 2021 data. Non-Hispanic Black adults in behavioral health crisis are also 22% more likely than white adults to be physically restrained. For Hispanic individuals and those of other or unknown race or ethnicity, there were no significant differences in adjusted odds of any restraint and/or sedation use compared to non-Hispanic White individuals.

For people of all races/ethnicities in a behavioral health crisis, physical . . .