Mental health issues can be
overwhelming to deal with,
but where can people turn for immediate help?
Good evening. I'm Marcella Lee.
I'm Carlo cecchetto.
We know that law enforcement often
isn't the best option to respond
to these kinds of problems,
but there are professionals who are
immediately accessible and ready to help.
As CBS, it's Kirsten Holmes,
explains San Diego County
mobile crisis response team,
especially equipped to deal
with these intense situations.
I grew up in a family impacted by mental.
Illness left unchecked and untreated.
That can be tough for anyone to deal with,
and historically,
for some communities there's just not
that level of access to help until now.
Thanks to San Diego's mobile
crisis response team,
so I went with them for a ride
along just to see how they can
help tell me about that.
Who wants you dead
at situations like this where San Diego's
mobile care response team steps in
are you hungry?
She is currently pregnant and unsheltered.
I was wondering if you guys had any
resources we could utilize her when people
need help the most. the IT three out
Brianna Lane is a program
administrator for MCRT.
She says as soon as they respond
it's their job to give the best level
of immediate care possible. What's
happening. What's going on?
What kind of led to this place?
What do you need to help get out
of this place so the fear is that
maybe you know she has the potential
to harm herself behind the door.
We provide a immediate crisis.
Response to someone who is off their
baseline experiencing a mental
health or substance use crisis.
I'd like to eventually talk
to the referring party.
After that we will follow the
individual for post 30 days
from the intervention MCRT.
This is Lauren
MCRT response team is
made up of three people,
a licensed clinician who's able
to help in mental health crisis.
A case manager who can help
coordinate care after the call
and a peer specialist who has
first-hand experience with
these types of situations.
Is that they don't connect with one of us.
There's a good chance they might
connect with the other two for years.
The default when someone is in
a crisis of any sort has been
going to the emergency room.
That's been the easiest route.
It's been the most known route,
and you know, we're really trying
to not clog up the ERS with
inappropriate services that are needed.
We try to do all of these lower
levels of care before taking
him to an emergency room.
Here's how it works in San Diego County.
If you need help, you call access
and crisis to get ahold of the MCRT.
But in true Vista and National City,
they're already getting calls routed
from 911 with hopes of expanding
that integration countywide.
This is Mattie. How can I help?
The team makes an assessment at their
facility before loading up. And heading out,
are they an imminent risk to
themselves or someone else?
Is there a medical reason that
they would need EMS services first?
Do they have weapons on them?
And if we clear all those criteria,
then our team will accept the call
and then a mobile team will go out.
You're going to get an 80s,
so the oldest member we've served
served to date has been 91.
The youngest we've served has
been seven because in times of
crisis people would either just
kind of sit and suffer because
they're not sure where to go.
That step of asking for help is a huge step,
as law enforcement in general is just
not trained the same as you know,
mental health clinicians are trained
in here. Do you need one of these?
Brianna says every call can
be seen as a success because
we were disabled to make contact,
meet him where he was at,
and let him know that we're available.
Sometimes it takes a few contacts you
know to to really plant that seed and
get them motivated to actually do too,
you know. Pursue change.
Sometimes it's not a home run,
but it's a single you know and
you know it's it's all help
helping to build communities,
right? They're going
to get you set up with transportation to
be taken directly to your housing. OK,
and right now they just want people to know
that they are there when you need them.
We're in purple. We stand out.
We look different, but you know,
just getting our name out in the
community and seeing that we show up.
We have snacks.
We have a teddy bear.
We will get you your medications
there at the independent
living home, OK?
OK OK alright. Thank you bye Barbara.
Positive way where people would feel
that we're approachable to come to if
they needed help or question Kirsten
Holmes CBS 8.