The Santa Cruz County Board of Supervisors at a meeting Tuesday unanimously approved plans for funding more robust mental health services in the county.
Improvements include the implementation of 24/7 mobile crisis response, a call center with dispatch directly to mobile crisis teams, dedicated crisis support for youth and the staffing of peer support specialists.
The calls are answered by the Suicide Prevention Service of the Central Coast, which is a regional call center dedicated to Santa Cruz, San Benito and Monterey counties. When calls are received, they are redirected to the appropriate resources based on the perceived level of risk and care needs. Currently, Santa Cruz County has two types of mobile crisis response teams. The first type includes the Mobile Emergency Response Team, or MERT, and the Mobile Emergency Response Team for Youth, or MERTY. They both operate Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. MERT and MERTY staff are comprised of clinical staff who have the authority to perform evaluations for involuntary detention of mentally disordered individuals.
Despite the plans to expand the hours and reach of mobile crisis services and improve the quality of crisis care facilities, challenges with staffing in behavioral health positions present a big hurdle, according to the county and the Crisis Now report.
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