LACDMH Highlights Non-Law Enforcement Teams for Mental Health Crisis Support

LOS ANGELES — The Los Angeles County Department of Mental Health or LACDMH in March launched a campaign to increase awareness of the department’s alternative crisis response or ACR program and to foster trust in the program’s field intervention teams or FIT which serve as the county’s first responders for mental health crisis support. 

“For too long, 9-1-1 was the only place to call for help when someone experienced a mental health crisis. Now, the County has teams of unarmed, trained mental health professionals who are responding directly to people in crisis — twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week,” said Supervisor Janice Hahn.

Developed with IDEO, the media campaign consists of a public awareness video, billboards, posters, social media assets, and an updated webpage at dmh.lacounty.gov/acr, highlighting various FIT members who apply their skills and experience with mental health in helping individuals and families during a crisis. 

“Through this campaign, LACDMH is able to feature our compassionate mental health professionals who arrive at your doorstep when there is a mental health emergency,” said LACDMH Director Dr. Lisa H. Wong. “From registered nurses and psychologists to community health workers and social workers, our caring and skilled team members provide a calming presence. We feel it is vitally important to increase the public’s awareness of this resource and emphasize the need to provide individuals in crisis with an alternative to a law enforcement response, 24/7, anywhere in the County.”

In L.A. County, mental health crisis support is accessible through the department’s 24/7 help line at 800-854-7771. The help line offers local crisis support, appointments and referrals, substance use disorder services, and veteran and military family support. After contact, call center team members will determine the best resource to help the individual, and, if appropriate, dispatch FIT members to the caller’s location.

“FIT arrives in pairs with one mental health clinician and one community health worker – without sirens, in plain clothes and with an L.A. County ID badge,” said Reuben Wilson, ACR Program Implementation Manager. “Once on-site, the team engages with family members or loved ones and the person in crisis to better understand the situation, de-escalate the crisis and stabilize the scene. The team will determine the next steps for best keeping them safe.”

After de-escalating the situation, the ACR program provides care in the least restrictive level of care possible. If needed, people experiencing a mental health crisis may go to a psychiatric urgent care for short-term stabilization or a crisis residential treatment program for rehabilitative and psychiatric support services.

LACDMH’s ACR program is coming off its most successful year to date. In 2024, FIT members were dispatched 21,000 times which is up 35% from 2023 with 94% of those calls resolved without law enforcement involvement. To meet increasing countywide demand for this resource, the ACR Program has doubled capacity over the last two years to include 71 FIT teams.