The County’s Mobile Crisis Response Team program is celebrating four years supporting those facing behavioral health crises.
The program launched in January 2021 as a pilot. It has grown exponentially, going from 131 calls in its first year to more than 7,000 between July 2023 and June 2024.
Response teams are made up of trained personnel who can work directly with people, assess their needs and identify ways to de-escalate behavioral health crises without involving law enforcement.
Since the program’s inception, the number of teams has grown from two to 44 while concurrently continuing to increase the ways it supports the region. For example, since November 2024, MCRT teams are able to respond to crises in students from kindergarten through 12th grade in every school district in the region.
Teams can respond to behavioral health crises that do not include threats of violence or medical emergencies. These teams provide assessments, leverage crisis intervention and de-escalation techniques, and connect individuals with services and resources.
Some common signs of a behavioral health crisis are:
• Changes in mood or behaviors that cause concern
• Thoughts of self-harm or suicide
• Sudden changes to hygiene and self-care practices
• Unusual thoughts, sounds or visions that cause fear or distress
• Sudden onset or increase of substance use
• Feeling hopeless or helpless
• Sense of loss of control over thoughts, feelings, emotions or behaviors
The MCRT anniversary coincides with observance of Mental Health Month.
In another advancement of behavioral health care availability, the 988-crisis line phone number is now working region-wide to connect callers directly to local specialized teams. The Federal Communications Commission required all cellphone carriers as of Jan. 13 to route 988 calls to local providers rather than a transfer center.
The Access and Crisis Line is available in more than 200 languages.
By Cassie N. Saunders
County of San Diego Communications Office
