Expansion of Mobile Crisis Teams
Expansion of Mobile Crisis Teams
City implementation partner: Department of Health and Mental Hygiene
Mobile Crisis Teams use face-to-face interventions in a non-emergency crisis to engage, assess, de-escalate and connect individuals to the most appropriate services. Deployed through NYC Well or hospitals, teams connect children and adults to new providers in addition to reconnecting to pre-existing care. Linkages are made to mental health, substance use, peer services, and social services. Most MCTs include both clinical and peer staff – for example, a licensed social worker and a certified family peer advocate. OCMH partnered with DOHMH to enhance capacity of the teams to respond quickly – now, from 8am-8pm seven days a week, MCTs can arrive to a location within two hours, down from an average of 17 hours in 2017.
24
mobile crisis teams now serve New Yorkers citywide
68%
of mental health-related emergency department (ED) visits in New York City did not result in admission to the hospital, indicating that not all crises require a hospitalization and may be addressed with community-based support. (2015 NYC Mental Health Needs Assessment).
