More Mobile Crisis Assistance Teams (MCOTs) are preparing for action in Montgomery County, Maryland.
More Mobile Crisis Assistance Teams (MCOTs) are preparing for action in Montgomery County, Maryland.
The team typically consists of licensed clinicians and peer support professionals and operates 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
There are currently three MCOTs operating in the county, with grant funding secured to add two more teams.
Two more teams may be added in the future. These are included in Montgomery County Executive Mark Elrich's 2025 budget request. This brings the total number of MCOTs to 7.
Beth Tabanick, manager of the Montgomery County Crisis Center, said there is a clear need for additional teams.
“The crisis center receives over 40,000 calls a year,” she told reporters Thursday during the Montgomery County Executive's weekly briefing.
Last year, the three existing teams responded to 2,100 requests for assistance.
“As you know, as our community has seen, mental health concerns and behavioral health distress have skyrocketed since COVID-19,” Tabaknik said.
The program's expansion comes as communities across the country strive to move away from relying on police to respond to calls related to mental health needs.
Tabaknick said police arriving on the scene may be a little anxiety-provoking for individuals who may not be required to respond to a call or who may be experiencing a mental health crisis. “No,” he said.
Tabaknick said MCOT responds to 30% to 35% of calls on its own, but in other cases, a team from his agency requests police, or police arrive at the scene and request MCOT. He said there is.
“We have always had a very strong working relationship with law enforcement,” she said.
Tabaknick said that number will likely change as more MCOTs operate in the county, reducing reliance on police.
Tabaknick said most referrals come from “first responder partners in schools, shelter systems and law enforcement.”
When asked if there has been an increase in the number of people needing mental health services in recent years, Tabaknick said, “I think there's always been a need for that in the community,” but since COVID-19, the number of people needing mental health services has increased. “I think so,'' he said. As we talk about this more and more and as awareness grows, the stigma around some of these services is slowly fading away. ”
Just as many government agencies are experiencing staffing shortages, Tabaknik said his department also has vacancies.
“We have seven full-time therapist positions available,” Tabaknick said.
“We are continually recruiting qualified and talented professionals interested in this type of work.”
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