CRISIS RESPONSE TEAMS NOW AVAILABLE 24 HOURS A DAY

Units specializing in psychiatric interventions can deploy countywide

Crisis response teams that specialize in psychiatric interventions are now available 24/7 throughout Riverside County, under a $15.3 million contract with a mental health outreach organization.

Last fall, the county entered into a three-year compact with Los Angeles-based

Sycamores to expand the county’s Mobile Crisis Response Teams, which were previously only available on a limited basis, but are now around-the-clock.

“We welcome the opportunity to support Riverside County,” Sycamores CEO Debra Manners said. “We’ve experienced firsthand the significant impact these teams can have during a behavioral health crisis, and we are eager to extend our services to the residents of Riverside County.”

As part of the expanded service, teams composed of therapists, substance abuse counselors and behavioral health case managers will deploy in vans from different areas of the county to meet residents’ needs.

Situations that might warrant use of mobile units include people threatening suicide, experiencing drug- or alcohol-related crises, as well as other psychological impacts that require an intervention, according to the Riverside University Health System.

“Intervention is crucial for de-escalating a behavioral health crisis, saving lives and avoiding unnecessary emergency department care, psychiatric hospitalization and law enforcement involvement,” the RUHS said. “Mobile Crisis Response Teams successfully diverted 70 percent of contacts experiencing a crisis from law enforcement and inpatient hospital admissions in fiscal year 2021-22, demonstrating the effectiveness of a compassionate approach in handling crises.”

Five new crisis response vans were procured as part of the upgraded service.

The contract with Sycamores will expire at the end of 2025-26, but the county has the option of automatically renewing for an additional two years.