California Association of Local Behavioral Health Boards & Commissions
  • Home
  • Resources
  • News/Issues
    • News/Issues (Full Listing)
    • News/Issues A - D >
      • Board & Commission News
      • Children's Issues >
        • Foster Children and Youth
      • Coordinated Care
      • Co-Occurring >
        • Dementia
        • Developmental Disabilities
        • Substance Use Disorder
        • TBI
      • Courts
      • Crisis Care Continuum
      • Cultural Issues
      • Disaster Recovery/Readiness
    • News/Issues E - P >
      • Employment
      • Homeless / Housing >
        • ARF Issue Brief ADA version
      • Hospitals
      • Jails & Prisons
      • Laura's Law
      • Law Enforcement
      • LGBTQ >
        • LGBTQ+ Definitions and Acronyms
      • LPS Act
      • Navigator Programs
      • Parity
      • Patients' Rights
      • Peer Supports
      • Psychiatric Advance Directives
    • News/Issues Q - Z >
      • Stigma
      • Seniors
      • Substance Use Disorder (SUD)
      • Suicide
      • Veterans
      • Whole Person Care
      • Workforce
      • Youth Issues (Ages 16-25)
  • Performance
    • ByCOUNTY
    • byTOPIC
  • Meetings
  • Training
  • Contact Us
  • Association Docs
  • Home
  • Resources
  • News/Issues
    • News/Issues (Full Listing)
    • News/Issues A - D >
      • Board & Commission News
      • Children's Issues >
        • Foster Children and Youth
      • Coordinated Care
      • Co-Occurring >
        • Dementia
        • Developmental Disabilities
        • Substance Use Disorder
        • TBI
      • Courts
      • Crisis Care Continuum
      • Cultural Issues
      • Disaster Recovery/Readiness
    • News/Issues E - P >
      • Employment
      • Homeless / Housing >
        • ARF Issue Brief ADA version
      • Hospitals
      • Jails & Prisons
      • Laura's Law
      • Law Enforcement
      • LGBTQ >
        • LGBTQ+ Definitions and Acronyms
      • LPS Act
      • Navigator Programs
      • Parity
      • Patients' Rights
      • Peer Supports
      • Psychiatric Advance Directives
    • News/Issues Q - Z >
      • Stigma
      • Seniors
      • Substance Use Disorder (SUD)
      • Suicide
      • Veterans
      • Whole Person Care
      • Workforce
      • Youth Issues (Ages 16-25)
  • Performance
    • ByCOUNTY
    • byTOPIC
  • Meetings
  • Training
  • Contact Us
  • Association Docs

​Crisis Care Continuum

 Issue Brief: ​PDF  HTML
Picture
Psychiatric Advance Directive (PAD)
Picture

Program Examples

On-Line and Phone Supports

​"988" Crisis line
California Warm Line
Butte County
Madera County
San Diego County

Peer Respites

Cedar Home Peer Respite
Trinity County

Second Story
Santa Cruz County

Mobile Crisis

SMART
San Mateo County

Mobile Crisis Triage (MCT)
Placer County

MACRO
Alameda County

AOT

Assisted Outpatient Treatment
Nevada County

Assisted Outpatient Treatment
Marin County

Crisis Stabilization

MH Urgent Care Center
Sacramento County
 

Crisis Stabilization Services
 
Napa County

Sobering Stations
Kern County
EmPath 
Sacramento County
Los Angeles County

Crisis Residential

Safe Harbor
Yolo County

Momentum for Health
Santa Clara County

Crisis Residential
Santa Barbara County

Reports / Resources / Articles

Crisis Care Continuum Issue Brief, CALBHB/C, 2024

988 Community Engagement Report, CA HHS, 2025

​CARE Act Early Implementation Report, DHCS 11/2024

​
AB 1544: ​Paramedicine and Triage

CalHHS Crisis Care Continuum Plan (August 2023): The CCC-P identifies the statewide vision for a full continuum of services for individuals experiencing behavioral health crises, articulates statewide minimum standards and metrics, and defines models and prototypes of how statewide services could be implemented locally, recognizing the need for creative approaches for California’s diverse communities. Crisis Care Continuum Plan, 988/CCC-P website

Medi-Cal Mobile Crisis Services Benefit Implementation. In October 2022, DHCS submitted to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) State Plan Amendment (SPA) 22-0043 that establishes mobile crisis services as a new benefit in the Medi-Cal program. Medi-Cal behavioral health delivery systems may begin implementing the mobile crisis services benefit as soon as January 1, 2023, and shall have the benefit fully implemented by December 31, 2023. DHCS Mobile Crisis Fact Sheet

Ensuring Coverage of Behavioral Health Emergency Services, The Kennedy Forum, 2022


Assessing the Continuum of Care for Behavioral Health Services in California, CA DHCS 2022

Mobile Crisis MediCal Funding
  • Behavioral Health Mobile Crisis Response Services in Medi-Cal - The 2021 American Rescue Plan Act authorizes federal Medicaid matching funds for community-based mobile crisis response services (PDF). In part to encourage states to enact these optional services, the federal match is a hefty 85%. The benefit is available starting April 1, 2022, for up to three years.CA Health Care Foundation   
  • ​California Will Expand Coverage of Medicaid Community-Based Mobile Crisis Intervention Services, National Health Law Program​
​
Contra Costa's new A3 crisis unit helps prioritize mental health call response, 2022


String of LAPD Shootings Exposes LA's Broken Mental Health System, Officials Say, LA Times, November 18, 2021

Expanding Alternative Crisis Response in Los Angeles County (Item 6, Agenda of June 8, 2021) Motion  Report Response


Settlement Reached Between Disability Rights California and San Benito County to Improve the County’s Behavioral Health System, April 2021

CA Dedicates $20 Million to Support New Mental Health "988" crisis line, CA Department of Health Care Services, September 2021

Roadmap to the Ideal Crisis System: Essential Elements, Measurable Standards, and Best Practice for Behavioral Health Crisis Response. The National Council for Behavioral Health, 2021


Peer Respites Provide an Alternative to Psychiatric Wards During Pandemic, Kaiser Health News

National Guidelines for Behavioral Health Crisis Care - Best Practice Toolkit Executive Summary (PDF | 1 MB)     Best Practice Toolkit (PDF | 2 MB)

Crisis Services: Effectiveness, Cost Effectiveness, and Funding Strategies, SAMHSA 2014

Plan for Crisis and Other Safety Net Services in the California Developmental Services System:  CA Health & Human Services 2017 

Cost Savings

GRAND MENTAL HEALTH "Since introducing the model, outcomes have been staggering: Inpatient hospitalizations among GRAND adult clients at an Oklahoma psychiatric hospital were reduced by 93.1 percent. From 2016 to 2021, this reduction saved more than $62 million. The number of adult clients served increased by 163.5 percent. And law enforcement in seven counties saved both 576 days in time spent transporting clients and over $718,000 from reductions in time and distance spent transporting clients." The Philadelphia Citizen

CAHOOTS (Crisis Assistance Helping Out On The Streets), mobile crisis intervention program in Eugene, OR - CAHOOTS, is estimated to save the city $8,500,000 in public safety spending annually. In 2019, Eugene’s CAHOOTS team answered 17 percent of the police department’s overall call volume. Out of 24,000 calls, police backup was requested only 150 times.

Crisis Now - A crisis continuum program model implemented in Phoenix, Arizona, Crisis Now, is estimated to have reduced inpatient spending by $260,000,000, preventing $37,000,000 in costs to hospital emergency departments in 2016. Phoenix saved the equivalent of 37 full-time police officers and further reduced city fire department costs.
California counties map by behavioral health region, showing 58 counties plus Berkeley and Tri-Cities. (Sutter and Yuba Counties are one jurisdiction). Southern Region in Green, Los Angeles Region in Turquoise, Central Region in Orange, Bay Area Region in Yellow and Superior Region in Blue
​CA counties map by behavioral health region, showing 58 counties plus Berkeley and Tri-Cities. (Sutter and Yuba Counties are one jurisdiction). View map.
The california association of local behavioral* health boards & commissions (cALBHB/C) supports the work of california's 59 local behavioral health boards and commissions by providing resources, training, Technical Assistance. 

Local boards are responsible** for reviewing public behavioral health needs, services, facilities and special problems, and serve in an advisory capacity to local governing bodies and local behavioral health directors. 
​


​*"Behavioral" Refers to Mental Health as well as Alcohol and Drugs.
**CA Welfare & Institutions Code (WIC) 5604

Donations are welcome. CALBHB/C is a nonprofit organization.