Memorial Behavioral Health is expanding a crisis response team’s coverage area into Morgan and Scott counties on Monday.
The mobile crisis response team will now be able to assist adults and children in the area who are experiencing a mental health emergency.
Memorial Behavioral Health’s Cassie Delaney says the 24/7 service which launched in April in Sangamon and Menard counties will not have a fee: “Mobile Crisis Response is a community-based crisis service that’s available to all ages. It connects people with a mental health professional regardless of what time it is, their age, or their payer source. It gives the families or it gives the patient a way to get the help they need without going to the E.R. and it helps connect them with follow-up services. They are going to be able to get connected with routine mental healthcare outside of that crisis time.”
Delaney says the service works in tandem with local police and school officials to de-escalate situations: “Oftentimes, there is a call where it is not maybe obvious if it’s going to be a mental health call. The police answer that call and see that the person is really struggling with their mental health and then, they actually call us in, as well. There are calls that are obviously apparent with a mental health need within the community. It does go a little bit of both ways. We do a lot of training as well as provide kind of a partnership with the police department because they oftentimes go on calls where there are many things going on and they end up where we are called to help provide that mental health assessment for them in the community. It’s a very stressful time usually when the police are called to a situation.”
To activate a mobile crisis response team, callers can reach the service at 217-788-7070. Delaney says the service can be activated and used through telephone, telehealth options over the computer, or in person depending upon the situation. Delaney says that the service is being paid for by a grant through the State of Illinois.