Supervisor Terra Lawson-Remer, and County of San Diego Behavioral Health Experts today celebrated the tremendous progress their Mobile Crisis Response Teams (MCRT) have made in delivering mental health care to residents.  

“For nearly four years I have been fighting for local solutions to make healthcare, especially mental healthcare, affordable and accessible for everyone; and our County’s Mobile Crisis Response Teams are an outstanding example of accessible mental healthcare,” said Supervisor Lawson-Remer, Vice Chair of the Board of Supervisors.  

Mobile Crisis Response Team can be dispatched anywhere in the county – a home, business, or a street location. The teams include a mental health clinician, peer support specialist, and a case manager. It was one of the first policies the Supervisor helped lead when she joined the Board of Supervisors.  

Since its inception, MCRT has responded to over 13,000 calls and served more than 7,800 unique individuals. 

“MCRT is about access,” said Dr. Luke Bergmann, director of the County’s Behavioral Health Services department. “ It's about making behavioral health care and response a normal part of our clinical continuum, and as accessible, or more accessible, than healthcare for any physical illness or injury.”

Of the 7,800 unique individuals served by MCRT, 12% are youth under age 18; 16% are over age 60; 72% live independently; and 18% are homeless or unhoused. 

“Clearing homelessness encampments and moving people into shelters, tiny homes, and supervised, safe camping sites is a priority for me,” said Supervisor Lawson-Remer. “But MCRT was not designed specifically as a program for the homeless. MCRT response is best used as a prevention method.  It can reduce the chance a person experiences homelessness by providing an early intervention.”   

During the press conference hosted at the Psychiatric Hospital of San Diego County in Supervisor Lawson-Remer’s District, MCRT provider Telecare was on hand to give the media a tour of their vehicle and share some success stories. 

Other important statistics shared today include: 

• 20% of all MCRT interventions occur in the North Coastal region with an average response time of 17 minutes.

• Over 80% of all calls responded to are diverted from emergency departments and Hospitals.

• Over 50% of calls are successfully resolved in the field by MCRT, without the need for transportation for additional services.

• About 28% were transported to our Crisis Stabilization Units. 

• About 12% require transportation to a higher level of care such as an emergency department or hospital.

If you or someone you know needs an MCRT Dial 9-8-8.