ABSTRACT
The emergency setting provides unusual opportunities for basic, clinical, or health services research because of the availability of large numbers of cases, the greater ease of identifying a central complaint or problem through the focusing lens of crisis, and the greater abundance of demographic and clinical information relative to the time invested. Private foundations with an interest in mental health, public policy, health care, medicine, or basic science are another possible source of grant support. The MacArthur Foundation, the Grant Foundation, the Jennifer Jones Simon Foundation for Mental Health Education, the Ford Foundation, and others have shown an interest in these areas, but these seem the exception rather than the rule. The organization of a research and training effort in an emergency setting requires considerable thought. Frequently such services are staffed on a 24-hour basis by a staff on rotating shifts. In a small program staff may have numerous other clinical responsibilities.
