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Health officials in the Bay Area and across the state are demanding that Gov. Gavin Newsom restore proposed budget cuts of mobile crisis intervention services.
“We must protect and expand mobile crisis response,” said Mae Sampani, executive director of crisis services at Pacific Clinics, in a virtual briefing Thursday. “It saves lives.”
Pacific Clinics provides behavioral health services across the state, including in Santa Clara and Solano counties. One of its programs is for mobile crisis intervention, which are in-person, community-based programs where crisis response teams meet with patients at homes or schools to provide deescalation and support for those experiencing a mental health crisis.
Since 2023, these services have been covered by Medi-Cal, the state’s version of federal Medicaid.
However, as part of his budget proposal, Newsom has proposed shifting mobile crisis response from a required Medi-Cal benefit to an optional one, thus placing the costs of the programs onto counties.
“Eliminating state funds forces counties to scale back or eliminate mobile crisis teams altogether, which will be devastating,” said Nadia Privara Brahms, director of the San Diego County Behavioral Health Services.
When the mobile crisis services benefit rolled out as covered by Medi-Cal, the federal government agreed to provide a temporary, enhanced federal match to cover 85% of costs. However, that match will drop to 50% next year.
Michelle Doty Cabrera, the executive director of the County Behavioral Health Directors Association of California, said that cutting state funding for mobile crisis intervention would force counties to pay around $168 million annually in order to keep the service alive. The County Behavioral Health Directors Association of California is an advocacy coalition representing behavioral health directors of all 58 counties in the state.
“We will be urging the governor to reconsider this cut and to lift mobile crisis up as a cornerstone of his legacy, and to continue to lead in advancing behavioral health transformation,” she said.
Sampani said that mobile crisis intervention services are important because they act as a diversion to reduce hospitalization or incarceration of those experiencing mental health crises.
“Historically, law enforcement was the only option for a mental health crisis,” she said. “While police are vital for public safety, mental health and substance use crises require a specialized clinical response and compassionate care.”
Kelly Martinez, the sheriff of San Diego County, said that mobile crisis intervention teams help take the burden off of law enforcement when it comes to responding to behavioral health-related calls.
“It’s been huge for us,” she said. “This has been transformational for law enforcement.”
The final budget must be passed by the state Legislature by June 15.
“The mandatory mobile crisis benefit is essential to support our children, neighbors, our loved ones in crisis,” Privara Brahms said. “Therefore, the governor and Legislature should prioritize long-term funding for this program.”
This story was written by Alise Maripuu for Bay City News Service.
