January 26, 2022 3:25 a.m.

A Mobile Crisis program that has helped hundreds of people experiencing a mental health crisis in Douglas County is expanding

Adapt Integrated Health Care’s Mobile Crisis Team was created through a partnership with the City of Roseburg in 2019 and was originally funded by a federal Justice and Mental Health Collaboration Program grant. Now, a new Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration grant obtained by Adapt has allowed the program to expand from 11 to 17 hours a day. In addition, Mobile Crisis now serves all of Douglas County – even the most remote areas.

An Adapt release said if 911 dispatchers receive a report of someone experiencing a mental health crisis, they can request that an Adapt Mobile Crisis counselor respond to the call alongside law enforcement officers. The trained mental health counselor works to de-escalate the situation and provide support, care and resources to the person experiencing the crisis. The counselor is accompanied by a case manager and the two work together to ensure the individual is connected to the right services.

The release said law enforcement officers have expressed appreciation for Mobile Crisis because most officers are not trained mental health professionals. Before Mobile Crisis, they would often end up taking individuals in crisis to the jail or the Emergency Department, which was costly and time consuming. Now officers can hand off many of those calls to counselors and divert those individuals into treatment and services.

Adapt, Roseburg Police and partners have created a video about Mobile Crisis to educate the community on what it is and how it works. It can be viewed at: https://www.youtube.com/c/adaptoregon