FIRST RESPONDER FOCUS: Lanny Abundiz

EPHRATA — The phrase “first responder” often conjures up a mental image of a heavily-armed person with a badge and a Taser, or a firefighter emerging from the flames covered in soot and carrying a rescued child. An unflappably calm woman with a gentle, serene voice doesn’t necessarily spring to mind. But that’s what the Grant County Sheriff’s Office has in Lanny Abundiz. 

“I'm a co-responding designated crisis responder,” Abundiz said. “The difference between that and a regular designated crisis responder is that I am patrolling with the deputies and responding on site to individuals that are in a crisis or could need support or resources.” 

Abundiz became the sheriff’s office’s first DCR Jan. 13, according to aa GCSO announcement. She divides her time between the Grant County Jail, where she evaluates people who have been arrested, and out on patrol where she can be brought in at a moment’s notice. If a deputy must deal with someone who seems to be having mental health issues, they can secure the scene and call for Abundiz. 

“If the person seems like they are in a crisis: they're dealing with suicidal ideation, homicidal ideation or grave disability where they are unable to meet their needs or just in acute distress, (the deputy) will let them know ‘I have a (mental health professional), a designated crisis responder in the vehicle. Would you like to talk to them?’” Abundiz said. “If they consent to it, then that's where I come and I just talk to them and provide the support that they need. If they are in a mental state where they can't make that decision for themselves, they're hallucinating, having paranoia or just seeming like they're really struggling with their mental health, then I can assess to see if they meet the criteria for involuntary detainment.” 

Abundiz wears a bulletproof vest for safety, she said. But it looks different from the deputies’ uniforms, and it’s marked in a way that makes it clear that she’s a non-threatening person a subject can talk to. In the roughly two weeks that she’s been in the job she’s done a number of evaluations at the jail and assisted with involuntary detainments. 

“My role was to provide education: why I was there, who I was, how I would be able to provide support to them and assist them in getting help for their mental health needs,” Abundiz said.  

The role is also about firming up the network of people a person facing a crisis needs. 

“And my role was to coordinate acceptances to the inpatient facility, talk to the natural supports — the family members — provide education, help them feel comfortable with the process and once a bed was secured, help them with the transportation and make sure that everything runs smoothly for them to begin their treatment.” 

Not everybody she deals with in the field needs to be taken to a treatment facility, she said, but for evaluations, she tries to get the subject to the emergency room, where it’s safe and secure for everyone involved. 

“The addition of the co-responding mental health professional to Renew’s crisis team represents a significant step in providing holistic, timely care to our community,” Abundiz’s supervisor Jonathan Muck wrote in an email. “This collaboration ensures that individuals, community members in crisis receive not only immediate support but also the specialized mental health expertise they need, fostering better outcomes and safer, more compassionate interventions.” 

Abundiz grew up in Ephrata and always aspired to go into law enforcement, she said. But getting an education takes money, and one of the jobs she took to pay her way happened to be in the mental health field. That opened her eyes to a whole different world, she said. 

“It was something that was completely new to me,” she said. “In my family, in our culture, we never talked about mental health. It was something that was pretty much taboo. So, it really fascinated me. And when I went into the field and I realized there's a lot of people that struggle, and I was able to see the signs, even in people in my own family. That's what drove me to learn more about it.” 

Abundiz earned her bachelor’s degree in criminal justice with a minor in psychology from Washington State University, and later her master’s in mental health counseling from Grand Canyon University. In between, she spent about two years at New Hope as a legal and community advocate for victims of sexual assault and domestic violence, and with the federal Youth Homeless Demonstration Program. Then she went on to Renew, Grant County’s mental health service, where she worked with the Wraparound with Intensive Services, or WISe, program. 

“(WISe) is a program that helps high-risk youth and families,” she said. “That's a pretty high level of care; it’s right above inpatient services. So, adolescents and kids that are dealing with high-risk needs are usually going into those types of programs.” 

Her Hispanic background makes her sensitive to the taboos in that culture surrounding mental health care, she said. She sometimes meets resistance at first from the people she works with, but it doesn’t usually last long, 

“If you're able to help them coordinate the appointments and go with them and essentially hold their hands in the beginning, it helps with that kind of resistance,” she said. “It just comes down to them not trusting a lot of the time. So, if you're able to be with them throughout the entire process, it makes it easier for them to be open to accessing those services.” 

That sort of start-to-finish help is much of what Abundiz does in between emergencies, she said. People who have been contacted in the field or released from jail can go on a follow-up list, and she’ll phone them periodically to make sure they’re doing well and see if they need any additional support. 

“Her dedication to client care, constant professional growth and commitment to collaboration within the two agencies (Renew and Grant County Sheriff’s Office) is truly inspiring,” Muck wrote. “Lanny approaches each challenge with determination, compassion and a strong sense of responsibility, making her an invaluable asset.” 

Abundiz said she simply enjoys helping others. 

“I think I just have a passion for helping people,” Abundiz said. “I enjoy being able to provide resources (and) provide education. Mental health is something that's not really talked about a lot of the time in certain cultures and certain individuals. So just being able to provide that education, resources and support, I think is something that drives me and makes me continue being in this field.” 

    Lanny Abundiz began working with the Grant County Sheriff's Office earlier this month. While technically an employee of Renew, she works with deputies who encounter area residents, including suspects, facing mental health crises. She brings with her a passion for helping others and an understanding of how challenging mental health issues can be.