Three Things To Read This Week
1. Study: Mobile Crisis Teams Are Reducing Strain On Police And Hospitals—But Need To Scale Further.
A new preprint article from researchers at the University of California, Davis offers one of the most comprehensive overviews yet of America’s growing mobile crisis response field. The authors conducted a scoping review of mobile crisis response studies published over the past decade, analyzing differences in training, staffing, outcomes, and challenges across dozens of programs nationwide.
Researchers found that “mobile crisis response programs are a promising development in mental health care, but they are still largely in the early stages of implementation” and that while still evolving, these teams are showing how “many programs show potential in reducing the burden on local agencies [like police, fire, jails, and emergency rooms] and providing more appropriate care for individuals in crisis.” The full paper is worth reading for any city or county implementing or running a mobile crisis team, but here are some key findings:
Early-Stage But Promising Field: “Mobile crisis response programs are a promising development in mental health care, but they are still largely in the early stages of implementation… Many programs show potential in reducing the burden on local agencies… Mobile crisis response aims to facilitate access to behavioral health care, de-escalation in mental health crises, and basic needs… The more abstract objectives are to build trust in public systems, advance health equity, promote wellness, and ensure that people in crisis are met with the most appropriate care.”
Evidence Of Real-World Impact: “Programs integrated with 911 call centers provide more definitive tracking markers of successful interventions, such as call diversion and cost savings… In Oregon, an estimated 5–8% of calls to 911 are diverted to [mobile crisis response] teams… these diversions save law enforcement agencies $1.23 million annually by reducing call volume… The Denver [mobile crisis response] program… diverted 748 calls in its first year, representing 3% of all 911 calls for service… Many programs strive to more broadly enhance community wellness… focusing on connecting clients to more definitive, ongoing care and improving short-term survival by addressing basic needs.”
Wide Variation In Team Models And Training Across The Country: “Response programs differ significantly in training, implementation, and supporting infrastructure… existing crisis response programs are organized into various teams… Some consist only of law enforcement, others pair behavioral-health providers with EMS personnel, and some include peer responders… there is no consistent discussion of mobile-specific training, interprofessional training initiatives, or team dynamics within the various response models."
Need For Standardization And Integration: “A widespread effort to create and implement standardized outcome measures could provide the common language and structure needed to assess performance, compare programs, and encourage consistency… future work should focus on developing long-term outcome measures and creating frameworks for integration with broader social services… there is a pressing need to assess the long-term impact of these programs on client recovery, public safety, and systemic health equity.”
2. Mobile Crisis Response Teams Expanding Across The Country.
In Oregon, “Portland Street Response Expands Offerings, Hours,” And Launches Direct Hotline. For Axios, Kale Williams and Meira Gebel report that the city’s lauded mobile crisis response team—which amidst an expansion into a community safety department-style team, that “formally establishes [it] as an equal branch of the city's public safety system… to take some of the burden off first responders like police and firefighters”—now has “a direct phone number and longer operating hours,” the first steps in bringing the team closer to its eventual goal of 24/7 service
For KGW8, Jake Holter reports that the city “recently allocated funds to allow the program [to] add an extra [4] hours to its available response window… add 14 more positions to be able to respond faster throughout the city… [and] launched a new phone number for people to call if they witness someone in emotional distress. Callers can still dial 911, calls to the new number or 911 are “ultimately routed to trained 911 call-takers either way.”
In Washington State, King County Expands To “Seven Youth Mobile Crisis Teams.” For King5, Jake Johns reports that the expansion, which brings the total number of youth-responding teams to nine, will “ensure support is available at all times for… young people and their families” and “ensures faster response times and a better understanding” of the families and their specific needs. The youth-focused mobile crisis teams are similar to the adult teams in the county—which also recently expanded to 27 total teams—but are specially trained to handle the sensitivities of young people who are “struggling with behavioral health crises, including conflicts at home.” The trained health experts “intervene and de-escalate crises and connect young people with support and resources” across the county… [so that] ‘families [don’t] have to navigate a maze of systems to get the help they need.”
In Maryland, Mobile Crisis Team Expands Coverage To The Southern Region Of The State. For Southern Maryland News, Ilana Williams reports that the state is funding an expansion of a promising statewide mobile crisis response program into Southern Maryland. The effort deploys “clinicians and peer support specialists [in a discreet, unmarked state vehicle] to help resolve immediate behavioral crises and offer resources” to mental health-related calls for service. When a mental health call comes in, “phone counselors determine if a person’s situation can be de-escalated on the phone and be connected with appropriate resources or if a team of a clinician and peer support specialist needs to visit them.” When the team is deployed, they “identify what triggered the call… [and] determine which resources to provide to keep someone from going to the hospital or criminal justice system.” The team will also “follow up the next day, whether it be in-person or over telehealth… [and then continue to] visit the client once every seven days for two weeks
“In North Carolina, CARE Mobile Crisis Team, That Works To Calm Crisis Situations And Keep People From Being Sent To Jail Or The Hospital Unnecessarily Is Expanding.” For The News and Observer, Tammy Grubb reports on the expansion of the Crisis Assistance, Response and Engagement team, or CARE, which sends “crisis counselor, community emergency medical technician and peer support specialist” to “behavioral health and nonviolent calls, working with a crisis counselor at the 911 Call Center who provides remote help to callers or dispatches the team to help instead of police.” The expansion represents a “step toward CARE teams across [the] county.” Carrboro Police Chief Chris Atack, a champion of the mobile crisis team, explained to the newspaper that he is “‘so glad that this program is now available in his town… [because it] will allow people in crisis or challenging circumstances to quickly access real-time care and meaningful assistance… [and] could also [expand to] serve vulnerable populations downtown.”
Related: “Since 2020, community responder programs have exploded across the United States.” To track this growth, the Law Enforcement Action Partnership has created a map of programs across the country with information about how each functions. Nationwide, “community responders are now responding to more than 200,000 calls per year—with zero fatalities or serious injuries,” LEAP researchers note. Check out the full map and research here.
3. Spotlight On Innovative Counties Modernizing Their Public Safety Infrastructure.
The National Association of Counties, in collaboration with the National Association of County Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities Directors, published a new report last month highlighting the innovative services and programs counties across the country are implementing to “support community members living with a behavioral health condition or experiencing a behavioral health crisis.” The researchers conclude that these services “improve community mental health, saves taxpayer money, allows law enforcement to focus efforts on public safety responsibilities, reduces the overuse and misuse of the criminal legal system and decreases the reliance on emergency rooms.” The full report is worth your time, but here are some highlights:
Harris County, Texas: “The Clinician and Officer Remote Evaluation (CORE) program connects the Harris County Sheriff’s Office (HCSO) with crisis counselors from the Harris Center for Mental Health and Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities (the local mental health authority)... The program delivers telehealth assistance via iPads during mental health-related calls [when law enforcement receives the call for service], providing real-time assessments to determine appropriate actions and facilitate community-based follow-up care…. In 2024, 11 percent of assessed individuals were transported to a hospital, and 33 percent of calls were resolved on-scene with subsequent follow-up from The Harris Center.” Wayne Young, CEO of The Harris Center for Mental Health, explained: “This collaboration not only assists deputies in making informed decisions but also significantly reduces the role of law enforcement in mental health crises.”
Orange County, California: The Orange County Health Care Agency operates a 24/7 crisis care continuum that integrates 988 and a digital referral platform, OC Links, which provides a county-wide “bed availability dashboard [that] expedites transport for individuals experiencing behavioral health emergencies to Crisis Stabilization Units rather than to an emergency department or jail… These efforts support the county’s broader goal of connecting individuals to appropriate levels of care… by offering alternative crisis response pathways, Orange County reduces strain on emergency services and prevents unnecessary incarcerations.”
Sevier County, Utah: In rural Utah, Sevier County and five neighboring counties operate a Mobile Crisis Outreach Team (MCOT) through the Central Utah Counseling Center. “The MCOT unit is made up of either a peer support counselor or a therapist and a case manager that can be deployed in response to community members experiencing a mental health or substance use crisis… [and] can be mobilized through calls to the crisis line or by law enforcement directly. Central Utah Counseling Center, the local mental health agency in rural Utah, “estimates that if the MCOT did not exist, up to 96 percent of these responses would have resulted in hospitalization or jail detention."
