Hospital emergency departments, jails and law enforcement agencies in Idaho have become the default providers of crisis intervention to Idaho citizens with behavioral health disorders. Extensive resources are being unnecessarily expended by law enforcement and hospitals on behavioral health crisis services. It is the policy of this state that citizens with behavioral health disorders should not be needlessly incarcerated when no crime has been perpetrated or the crime is of a minor nature arising from a behavioral health disorder, crisis or incident. Therefore, it is the intent of the legislature that behavioral health community crisis centers, hereinafter referred to as crisis centers, be developed and operated, as funding is appropriated, to provide the appropriate level of care to meet the needs of Idahoans experiencing behavioral health crises.