Mental Health Services For Santa Cruz Co. Youth Set To Go Mobile

SANTA CRUZ COUNTY, CA — A mobile behavioral health office that will provide crisis services and evaluations for youth ages 5-21 will be rolling in Watsonville and other South County areas thanks to a $416,000 state grant. Recently announced by the county, the grant will help fund the first Mobile Emergency Response Team for Youth.

"Our Mobile Emergency Response Teams are a key pillar of the county's full suite of mental health crisis intervention and stabilization services," said Erik Riera, director of Behavioral Health Services for Santa Cruz County. "The need for mobile crisis team capacity, particularly for youth and families, was identified through behavioral health’s community stakeholder meetings, our local NAMI chapter, as well as the work of the local Mental Health Advisory Board. This grant will help us provide these critical services for youth in the Watsonville area."

According to the county, the mobile unit will be staffed with bilingual and monolingual medical professionals.

One in five youths live with a mental health condition, according to the National Alliance on
Mental Illness. Sixty-two percent of all youth clients served by County Behavioral Health live in the South County region, according to county officials.

For more information on Santa Cruz County crisis intervention services, click here.