Santa Cruz County’s Mobile Response Unit Saves Lives

As local governments try to stretch their budgets to accommodate a new wave of mental health cases, a new program is trying to shift the emergency response from uniformed officers to trained mental health counselors. Since the killing by police of Sean Arlt in 2020, a man in crisis who was brandishing a rake, and was killed by police, leaving behind a three-year old son, local officials have struggled to change the way authorities respond to people experiencing a mental crisis. In this show, we talk to two of the people working under this new model. If you, or someone you know in Santa Cruz County are experiencing a crisis, visit santacruzhealth.org/CrisisResponse or call 1-800-952-2335.

Guests on the program are:

James Russell is the Director of Access and Crisis Services at the County of Santa Cruz Behavioral Health Services and a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist. With over two decades of experience in mental health and crisis intervention, James has played a role in developing and overseeing various behavioral health programs including the local Crisis Intervention Training program for Law Enforcement, supervising the Mental Health Liaison and Focused Intervention Team, a non-law enforcement crisis response teams at the University of California Santa Cruz, to managing the Community Crisis Continuum.

Danielle Long, LCSW, is a mental health professional dedicated to community well-being. A graduate of UC Santa Cruz and San Jose State University, she has worked with the County of Santa Cruz since 1995 and currently serves as the Crisis Continuum Program Manager. Danielle helped develop the County’s first Mental Health Liaison program in 2013 and has contributed to various key initiatives, including 24/7/365 Mobile Crisis Response. She currently Chairs the Santa Cruz City Commission for the Prevention of Violence Against Women and is a strong advocate for individuals in crisis.

Press Release from SC County Behavioral Health:

For Immediate Release Contact: Sandra Hughes

Date: December 12, 2024 [email protected]

SANTA CRUZ COUNTY MOBILE CRISIS RESPONSE TEAM SERVICES ARE AVAILABLE 24/7

Santa Cruz County Behavioral Health is pleased to announce that Mobile Crisis Response

Teams (MCRT) are now available 24/7/365 to respond to behavioral health crises for youth

and adults across Santa Cruz County, including the cities of Santa Cruz, Watsonville, Scotts

Valley, Capitola, and all unincorporated areas. The MCRT helps remove barriers to crisis

support access by meeting individuals where they are—whether that’s a park, school, or

other safe location, including faith-based sites.

When a community member calls for a MCRT response to the 24-hour Access Line, trained

crisis call takers will assess the situation to determine if an individual is undergoing a

behavioral health crisis. If appropriate, a team is dispatched to provide on-site evaluation

and intervention. Once the immediate crisis is stabilized, the MCRT will assist with a transition

to follow-up care by connecting individuals with services and community-based resources.

“Our Mobile Crisis Response Team is staffed with compassionate mental health

professionals who understand the diverse needs of our Santa Cruz County community,” said

Karen Kern, Deputy Director of Santa Cruz County Behavioral Health. “With culturally

responsive, bilingual services, our goal is to provide timely and empathetic support during

crises, helping individuals feel safe and empowered to continue their care journey. This

approach also helps reduce the number of emergency room visits and law enforcement

interventions.”

“Our Mobile Crisis Response Team stands ready to serve all in Santa Cruz County,” said

James Russell, Director of Access and Crisis Services