OC Health Care Agency granted $10 million for crisis mobile units
The OC Health Care Agency’s (HCA) Mental Health & Recovery Services (MHRS) team receives $10 million dollars to expand its behavioral crisis continuum in Orange County. Funding is allocated from the California Department of Health Care Services (DHCS) Crisis Care Mobile Units (CCMU) program. The program provides funding for county and city behavioral health departments to implement new and improved CCMUs. The HCA is one of many recipients, with more than $140 million already distributed to similar programs nationwide.
These additional funds are planned to support and/or expand the mobile behavioral health crisis services throughout Orange County, including:
The purchase of new vehicles for the field crisis team Crisis trainings for peer specialists Upgraded technology for crisis teams and vehicles Additional integrated resources for all residents of the province
The County’s current crisis system includes the Crisis Assessment Team (CAT), Outreach and Engagement Team and OC Links. Mobile crisis services are available to reach any person in the service area in a home, school, workplace or any other field-based location.
“We are very excited to withdraw these funds to better support the efforts of our crisis response system of care,” says Dr. Veronica Kelley, HCA Chief of Mental Health and Recovery Services. “These funds will enable us to better utilize current services, enabling more options for assistance with transportation to the necessary levels of care, technology and training. This will help ensure that Orange County residents experiencing a behavioral health crisis get the help they need, when they need it.”
The County’s CAT program provides rapid response in the field when an individual experiences a behavioral health crisis. A behavioral health crisis can include a mental health crisis, substance use crisis, or joint mental health and substance use crisis. County clinicians respond to calls from anyone in the community and are dispatched 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, all year round. Individuals are linked to appropriate care and follow-up by clinicians with individuals and/or their parents/guardians to provide information and referrals for ongoing mental health and recovery services.
California’s DHCS uses funding for these grants from the broader Behavioral Health Continuum Infrastructure Program (BHCIP), focusing on the development and expansion of behavioral health CCMUs throughout California. For more information on California’s Crisis Care Mobile Units (CCMU) grant program, visit: here
If you or someone you know is experiencing a mental health or substance crisis, call OC Links 24/7 at: (855) 625-4657 or visit OC Links.
