Mental health crises need quick, skilled, and caring help. For many years, communities faced long waits for help. Police often responded instead of health workers. There were not enough treatment options. This led to many hospital stays, repeated crises, and crowded emergency rooms.<\/p>\n
Two examples from cities in California show how special crisis teams can change how mental health emergencies are handled. San Francisco\u2019s MentalHealthSF program and the Los Angeles County Sheriff\u2019s Department (LASD) Mental Evaluation Team (MET) both aim to lower hospital stays by offering early help in the community.<\/p>\n
MentalHealthSF is a law made to fix San Francisco\u2019s mental health and substance use care system. The city set aside $607 million for behavioral health in one year\u2019s budget. About $55.5 million goes to MentalHealthSF, which includes new treatment spots and special crisis teams.<\/p>\n
A main part of MentalHealthSF is the Street Crisis Response Teams. They answer less urgent 911 calls for people having mental health problems. These calls used to need police. Since the teams started, they handle about one-third of these calls. This lowers police contact with people with mental illness. It also helps keep people in the community instead of hospital or jail.<\/p>\n
Still, there are many problems:<\/p>\n
The Office of Coordinated Care is still being planned. It should handle and connect care plans but has no full staff or leader yet.<\/p>\n
In short, San Francisco is trying to change crisis response from police to health workers. But making this work takes time and faces many problems even with money involved.<\/p>\n
The LASD runs the Mental Evaluation Team (MET) since 1991. Now, there are 33 teams that work all day and night. They help calm crises, negotiate, and support people\u2019s mental health.<\/p>\n
Important facts about MET:<\/p>\n
The Risk Assessment and Management Program (RAMP) follows up with people who have serious mental illness to keep them out of jail and into treatment. In 2022, RAMP reviewed 9,000 contacts and started 500 new cases.<\/p>\n
LASD also has the Veterans Mental Evaluation Team (VMET). It is made up of veterans or their family members. VMET works with the U.S. Veterans Administration to help veterans with mental health needs.<\/p>\n
MET uses unmarked cars and trained staff to reduce stigma and improve help. They focus on kindness and calming down crises rather than arrests.<\/p>\n
Though both San Francisco and Los Angeles teams show good results, they share challenges:<\/p>\n
Crisis teams face a tough job. To lower hospital stays, they need quick field work, community help, and ongoing outpatient support. Without these working well together, patients may end up in crisis again and again.<\/p>\n
For medical administrators and healthcare IT managers in the U.S., crisis response teams bring important lessons:<\/p>\n
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