Jackson County Mental Health adds new Mobile Crisis Response team

JACKSON COUNTY, Ore.– Jackson County Mental Health is launching a new Mobile Crisis Response team.

Its designed to get people the mental health assistance they need.

The Mobile Crisis Response team is looking to bring mental health expertise that law enforcement doesn’t have.

But it will partner with local law enforcement agencies, when needed.

Sabrina Ballew from Mercy Flights said, “this has been a need in our community for a long time.”

Not every emergency requires the lights and sirens of a police car or a fire truck.

This is especially true when it comes to a mental health crisis.

Jackson County Mental Health’s Rick Rawlins said, “it’s really to help law enforcement do what they need to do in the community which is law enforcement efforts.”

Before the mobile crisis response team, police would often have to respond to calls about mental health issues, which they are not trained on.

Jackson County Mental Health has a number of masters level therapists, peer support specialists and others that are better equipped to handle those situations.

JCMH is also partnering with the Mercy Flights Mobile Integrated Care team.

Ballew said, “we will have members of this team that are up-trained in a way that can go out and talk members of our community down from these crises, work with family members, that are trained in a more trauma-informed manner.”

Both JCMH and Mercy Flights are hoping to expand the program in the future.

JCMH hopes 9-1-1 can contact their team directly, instead of calling its crisis line.

Rawlins said, “over time, I’m hoping that this could really change the nature of how individuals are able to get the mental health services they need.”

The Jackson County Mental Health crisis line is 541-774-8201.

And for more information on the Mercy Flights Mobile Integrated Care team, you can find a link here.

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NBC5 News reporter Derek Strom is from Renton, Washington. He recently graduated from the Edward R. Murrow College of Communications at Washington State University with a degree in Broadcast News and a minor in Sports Management. He played in the drumline with the WSU marching band. These days, he plays the guitar and piano. Derek is a devoted fan of the Mariners, Seahawks, and Kraken.
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