The Los Angeles County Department of Mental Health (LACDMH) has gained significant recognition from the County of Los Angeles’ Quality and Productivity Commission (QPC) for enhancements in mental health care provisions via the Alternative Crisis Response(ACR) initiative.
A recent press release documented that the QPC honored LACDMH’s ACR Initiative through the Mega Million Dollar Award and secured a spot within the Top Ten Awards yesterday. Both accolades acknowledge the initiative’s efficacious contribution to mental health care practices within the county. Moreover, LACDMH anticipates that they will secure the Gold, Silver, or Bronze Eagle Award at the 36th Annual Productivity and Quality Awards Program held earlier today.
The ACR Initiative, a part of the Board of Supervisors' Care First, Jails Last initiative since June 2020, concentrates on rerouting emergency calls from the common 9-1-1 to the domain exclusive 9-8-8 for mental health crises. As a result, reformatting law enforcement involvement, incarceration, emergency room visits, and hospitalization, LACDMH's website describes. This alternative provision assists individuals experiencing behavioral health crises, defined as situations potentially harmful to the individuals or others, impairing their abilities to function adequately within their community.
Employing non-law enforcement professions to address crisis-involved scenarios, LACDMH crafted a system where residents achieve a more empathetic and clinically apt response. The system comprises a 24/7 operational 9-8-8 Call Center, mobile crisis teams, and non-hospital crisis facilities and treatment programs ensuring constant availability of assistance.
As per the press release, LACDMH approach evidences successful outcomes with 95% of nearly 5,000 monthly calls and texts to 9-8-8 resolved over the phone. Additionally, about 92% of almost 1,500 mental health mobile crisis teams deployed monthly are managed without law enforcement involvement, showing cost avoidance of an astonishing $70 million.
LACDMH, with a devoted team of 6,000 and an annual budget close to $3 billion, consistently offers a “heart-forward” approach nourishing hope, recovery, and well-being for 10 million residents within its jurisdiction. The department's adherence to providing comprehensive and innovative mental health services has merited them their recognition and awards.
