A new pilot program has been launched in Long Beach, deploying trained mental health professionals to respond to people in crisis in certain city areas. The Community Crisis Response Team (CCRT), launched by the Health and Human Services Department, started operations on July 12.
The five-person team will address calls for service where mental health support, health education, and resource navigation are needed. Officials said the team would respond to calls from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on weekends in West Long Beach and along the Anaheim corridor, areas selected based on dispatch call data from 2020 and 2021 indicating increased need.
The CCRT will respond to calls involving a mental health crisis, suicidal callers, public intoxication, unwelcome persons, welfare checks, and disturbances. However, the team will not handle calls involving violent behavior, armed individuals, medical emergencies, threats of self-harm or harm to others, or potential criminal activity.
Residents cannot directly request the crisis team but can call the non-emergency line at 562-435-6711. The crisis team can also be requested as an additional resource by responding police officers or firefighters when the situation warrants it.
The services offered by the CCRT include crisis intervention support, de-escalation, general health education, suicide assessment and intervention, provision of basic needs items, minimal medical aid, transportation to appropriate resources, and referral support for services.
The CCRT is part of the city’s Racial Equity and Reconciliation Initiative aiming to ensure race and ethnicity do not determine social and economic outcomes for Long Beach residents and workers. The program, funded by the Long Beach Recovery Act, is set to alleviate the burden on emergency services while improving the treatment of individuals in mental health crises.