As part of the Mental Health Services Act, the Health Services' Behavioral Health Division has been tasked with developing and implementing a 24/7 Mobile Crisis Intervention Team (MCIT), which will service three regions of the County and address consumers experiencing mental health crises. The MCIT will be an interdisciplinary team composed of licensed mental health clinical specialists, mental health community support workers, and a family nurse practitioner.  
The team will provide assessments, brief crisis response, short-term triage, and emergency services to severely and persistently mentally ill consumers in order to prevent acute psychiatric crises and subsequent hospitalization. The MCIT will work closely with law enforcement partners to decrease 5150s and psychiatric emergency services visits and refer consumers to appropriate services in their communities. The department has determined these requested positions are the appropriate classifications for the MCIT and a clerk-senior level position is also being requested to provide administrative support to the team.

If this action is not approved, the Behavioral Health Division will not be able to create and adequately staff a much needed 24/7 MCIT. Without the MCIT, the department would lose a valuable tool in reducing 5150s and psychiatric emergency services visits for consumers who are experiencing mental health crises.