Austin Boosts Mental Health Crisis Response with $1.46M Expansion

The City Council of Austin gave the team that handles mental health crises more money on Thursday, giving them $1.46 million more to use. With 23 more employees, the Expanded Mobile Crisis Outreach Team (EMCOT), which helps first responders deal with mental health situations, will now be open 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

At the moment, 19 people from EMCOT work in 911 call centers and 29 work in the field. With the extra money, five new people will be able to work in call centers and 18 will be able to work in the field to help with crisis situations.

The goal of EMCOT is to calm down mental health emergencies so that first responders like police and paramedics can leave the scene within 10 minutes. This method not only cuts down on hospitals and jail time that aren't necessary, but it also frees up emergency workers to do other things that are important for public safety.

The head of crisis services and justice projects for Integral Care, Marisa Malik, said, "Right now, we're not sized to meet the needs of our communities." "This growth is a big step forward."

The new money comes at a time when calls about mental health are still going up in Austin. Members of the EMCOT team offer de-escalation techniques, drug reviews, and crisis intervention services. They also provide follow-up help for up to 90 days to make sure that people continue to get care and resources.