San Benito County launches first-ever mobile crisis response team

SAN BENITO COUNTY, Calif. (KION-TV) -- San Benito County launched a new community mobile crisis response program to offer immediate mental health support, reducing the need for emergency room visits and minimizing police involvement.

The mobile crisis response team is designed to prevent escalation during mental health crises and provide individuals with the help they need in a safe environment.

"Sometimes people don't reach out for help. There's a lot of stigma. There can be shame. There can be a lot of reasons why people don't reach out. And that's also a reason why mental health crises can happen," Behavioral Health director Dana Edgull said.

The mobile crisis team starts by assessing the situation and helping individuals over the phone before deciding if more support is needed.

"The call will first go to our suicide prevention lifeline partner. They have trained staff who know how to de-escalate situations over the phone," Edgull said. "If that doesn't work, if the individual and/or their family need more help and support, then the mobile crisis team will go out into the community where that person is."

In these high-pressure situations, the mobile crisis team steps in to provide immediate support

"We have responded to quite a few incidents, incidences where individuals, are just really after and, you know, feel that they can't go on. And so when you show up when we arrive and we make our introductions and explain our program," Mobile Crisis Rehab Specialist April Govea said. "Individuals, I feel open up because they feel safe and they are vulnerable.

The mobile crisis team also provides a safe and non-intimidating alternative to law enforcement, helping those who may feel anxious around police.

"They don't want to talk with them. Situations can be more tense. And so when you have somebody that's a trained mobile crisis, response provider, their approach is just different," Edgull said.

The mobile crisis team will support those in the most rural parts of the county.

"We have a two-hour window. That's dictated under the state guidelines that we have to guarantee that a response will happen where somebody will receive support within two hours of the call," Edgull said.

The team’s goal is to minimize the need for law enforcement involvement, unless necessary.

"Law enforcement will only be called out if the situation if there's imminent danger, if there's crimes being committed or somebody if something's happening and there's threat of violence," Edgull said. "So law enforcement won't be responding. However, law enforcement can directly contact the mobile crisis team and ask them to respond with them."

Many in the community have noticed the lack of accessible resources, but the mobile crisis team is working to change that

"I think that the mobile crisis unit being out in the community will expose community members to resources that are maybe they didn't know of specific resources that they've been in need of," Govea said.

People can call for this service 24 hours a day, 7 days a week including holidays. The number to reach out to the mobile crisis response team here