Care for Mobile Crisis Workers

Commentary from Chelsea Parsons of Everytown for Gun Safety and AMSA Talks with Raven Loaiza of Pinpoint Behavioral Health

HEADLINES

EL CAJON CA - Want Cops to Back Up County Crisis Teams? Pay Up. (Voice of San Diego)

The discussion kicked off with presentations about the decision not to have police not to respond to crisis calls that don’t involve a crime or threat to others. Police presence can escalate crisis calls where a person is only a danger to themselves and present legal threats for officers (see Scott v Smith below). County-contracted Mobile Crisis Response Teams were created a few years ago to minimize police responses to such calls.

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MIAMI - De-escalation, not police intervention: Miami mental health hotline, crisis response unit expands (WLRN)

Freedom House Mobile Crisis Team

Run by Dade County Street Response (DCSR), the Freedom House Mobile Crisis Team sends trained medics, therapists and crisis interventionists who focus on listening, de-escalating and connecting people to care — all without involving police. Unit members function as both hotline call-takers and outreach workers, providing direct support to callers and people they encounter on the street. Team members conduct on-site assessments, prioritize medical emergencies, develop safety plans and connect people to resources with the goal of avoiding involuntary psychiatric commitment under Florida’s Baker Act whenever possible.

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BATON ROUGE - New Youth Mobile Crisis Program exceeds expectations (Daily Star)

Southeast Community Health Systems reported the strong success of its new Youth Mobile Crisis Program, which launched in June and has already surpassed initial projections.

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IOWA - Johnson County considers new mediation program for non-violent emergencies (CBS2Iowa)

CommUnity Crisis Services would act as mediators in responding to calls including roommate, family, and neighbor disputes, noise complaints, etc.

The mediation unit development process would start in January if the area's application is approved for funding through NYU Law. It would be funded through a $200,000 grant over 15 months.

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SALT LAKE CITY - Number of those reaching out for help in midst of mental health crisis surges across state (KUTV)

The number of people in mental health crisis reaching out for help has surged in Salt Lake County. The data shows mobile crisis teams responded to more than 5,200 calls in the past 12 months. Roughly 60% of those calls came in after Jan. 1, 2025. That’s up from just 376 from July 2021 to June 2022.

“We clearly do have a lot of individuals in crisis,” said Brooke Anderson, with the Utah Public Health Association. “But they are actually finding someone to talk to, that’s our ultimate goal.”

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HOUSTON - Harris County commissioners vote to expand HART, a crisis intervention program (HPB)

Commissioners approved 16 new staff positions to support the county’s Holistic Assistance Response Team (HART) and Relentless Interrupters Serving Everyone (RISE) programs. The unarmed, mobile crisis response units as part of the HART program will serve all unincorporated parts of the county, which includes Houston, as part of the expansion.

Jimmy Nguyen, a crisis intervention specialist and field supervisor for the county, said the HART program is about caring for people.

"We meet people on the worst days of their lives, and we stay with them through the journey," Nguyen said. "We're there for the crisis and we're there for the recovery."

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NEW BRUNSWICK - AG’s Office Investigating After Senior Citizen Was Tased, Pepper Sprayed, and Fatally Shot in a Hallway (New Brunswick Today)

The New Jersey Attorney General’s office declined to answer questions about the matter, including whether the call was handled as part of the “ARRIVE Together” program that he championed. That initiative pairs police with certified mental health screeners and crisis specialists to respond to 911 calls involving behavioral health incidents.