Behavioral Health Commission Approves Recommendations for Improved Mental Health Crisis Response to the San Mateo County Board of Supervisors

As a member of the San Mateo County Behavioral Health Commission, I am proud to share that in July, our Commission voted unanimously to approve Mental Health Crisis Response Recommendations to the Board of Supervisors, following the hard work of our Ad Hoc Subcommittee, as well as many discussions with our community, to assemble a comprehensive set of recommendations that are person-centered and representative of best practices to protect individuals experiencing mental health crises in San Mateo County.

The recommendations include:

• Changing of County dispatching protocols to include mental health emergencies;
• Adding a mental health clinician to the dispatch center;
• Creating a non-police mental health crisis response team; and
• Establishing Community Based Crisis Stabilization Centers.

Please read the recommendations and feel free to contact me for further details!

*Our recommendations are also consistent with NAMI's position on Mental Health Crisis Response, recommendations and best practices to protect those experiencing crises related to mental illness.