A Mobile Crisis program that has helped hundreds of people experiencing a mental health crisis in Douglas County is expanding.
Adapt Integrated Health Care’s Mobile Crisis team was created through a partnership with the City of Roseburg in January 2019 and was originally funded by a federal Justice and Mental Health Collaboration Program grant. Now, a new Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) grant obtained by Adapt has allowed the program to expand from 11 hours a day to 17 hours a day. Additionally, Mobile Crisis now serves all of Douglas County—even the most remote areas.
The way Mobile Crisis works is this: If 911 dispatchers receive a report of someone experiencing a mental health crisis, they can request that an Adapt Mobile Crisis counselor respond to the call alongside law enforcement officers. The trained mental health counselor works to de-escalate the situation and provide support, care and resources to the person experiencing the crisis. The counselor is accompanied by a case manager, and the two work together to ensure that the individual is connected to the right services.
Mobile Crisis teams have responded to calls involving suicidal individuals; public disturbances; grief and loss; family disputes; welfare checks; and potentially volatile police situations. Services provided include crisis counseling, conflict resolution, grief and loss counseling, harm reduction, and connections to mental health services, substance use treatment, primary care and social services.
Law enforcement officers have expressed appreciation for Mobile Crisis because most officers are not trained mental health professionals; before Mobile Crisis, they would often end up taking individuals in crisis to the Jail or the Emergency Department, which was costly and time-consuming. Now, officers can hand off many of those calls to the counselors and divert those individuals into treatment and services.
Adapt, Roseburg police and partners have created a video about Mobile Crisis to educate the community on what it is and how it works. The video can be viewed at: https://www.youtube.com/c/adaptoregon.