Hamilton county mobile crisis team expansion grant expands staffing, formalizes partnerships and builds quality infrastructure to divert crises from law enforcement and community care

The Department of Health and Human Services Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration awarded $750,000 to Hamilton County Mental Health and Recovery Services Board on September 30, 2026, under the Center for Mental Health Services Projects of Regional and National Significance program (CFDA 93.532).

The recipient is expanding and formalizing Hamilton County's 24/7 mobile crisis team to serve 838,418 residents across 405.5 square miles in Ohio. The grant funds increased staffing, formalized partnerships with 911, 988, emergency first responders, and community services, and builds quality infrastructure to divert mental health and substance use disorder crises from law enforcement to community care. The mobile crisis team currently serves adults and youth experiencing mental health and substance use crises, with 2025 encounter data showing 59% ages 18–54, 23% ages 55 and older, and primary diagnoses including schizophrenia spectrum disorders (26%) and bipolar disorder. Key capacity gaps the grant addresses include unequal geographic response (only 29% of responses to residents outside Cincinnati despite comprising 63% of the population), no peer coverage during evening and weekend hours, undocumented substance use disorder status in 30% of encounters, and absent continuous quality improvement infrastructure.

Hamilton County Mental Health and Recovery Services Board partners with Central Clinic Behavioral Health and University of Cincinnati Medical Center. The grant period runs through September 30, 2030, with place of performance in Cincinnati, Ohio.

Abstract

The hamilton county mental health and recovery services board (hcmhrsb) in partnership with central clinic behavioral health and university of cincinnati medical center (ucmc) will strengthen their 24/7 mobile crisis team (MCT) serving 838,418 hamilton county, ohio (HC-OH) residents. The hamilton county mobile crisis team enhancement grant (HC-MCT-e) expands staffing, formalizes partnerships, and builds quality infrastructure to divert crises from law enforcement to community care. Project name: hamilton county mobile crisis team enhancement grant (HC-MCT-e). Geographic area & capacity needed: HC-OH spans 405.5 square miles and 838,418 residents, 63% living outside cincinnati. Ucmc's MCT has provided 24/7 countywide crisis response since 2023, but capacity has not kept pace with need: residents outside cincinnati receive only 29% of responses despite comprising 63% of the population; evening and weekend hours have no peer coverage; formal partnership agreements with 911, 988, emergency first responders, and community services do not exist; substance use disorder (SUD) status goes undocumented in 30% of encounters; and no continuous quality improvement (CQI) infrastructure exists. Population of focus: four populations will benefit most: persons with serious mental illness (SMI) (51% of encounters), persons with suds (38%), high utilizers with recurrent crisis contact (65% with two or more encounters), and residents of underserved areas outside cincinnati. Population served: MCT serves adults and youth in HC-OH experiencing mental health (MH) and SUD crises; MCT responds countywide. 2025 encounter data (n=8,022): ages 18-54 (59%), 55+ (23%); SEX evenly split (48% female, 48% male); 2% veterans. Primary diagnoses: schizophrenia spectrum disorders (26%), bipolar disorder (13%), depressive disorders (12%); 38% have a documented SUD history. Strategies & interventions: HC-MCT-e will (1) hire clinical and peer staff at three satellite offices to close geographic and evening/weekend coverage gaps; (2) establish a community outreach team (COT) for peer-led crisis prevention and postvention with high utilizers; (3) formalize partnerships via memoranda of understanding (mous) with front-end (988, 911), back-end (community services), and first-responder partners, embedding a triage worker in 911 dispatch and developing dispatch criteria and warm-transfer protocols for 988- and 911-to-MCT referrals; (4) integrate a standardized SUD screening into every encounter; (5) build CQI infrastructure, including a written plan, epic dashboard, and plan-do-study-act (pdsa) cycles; and (6) strengthen system-level training, crisis planning, and financial sustainability. Project goals: (1) expand crisis response capacity outside cincinnati; (2) expand peer support capacity for crisis prevention and postvention; (3) establish formal partnerships to improve coordination and diversion; (4) strengthen SUD identification and treatment linkage; (5) build data-driven CQI capacity; and (6) strengthen system infrastructure to sustain crisis response. Measurable objectives: by 9/30/2028, increase crisis runs to ZIP codes outside cincinnati from 29% to 43% or more (expanding crisis services). By 9/30/2028, reduce the 988 call overflow rate from 32% to 26% or less and reduce on-site MCT responses CO-occurring with law enforcement from 52% to 41% or less (expanding crisis services). By 9/30/2029, reduce 30-day recidivism among MCT peer-services clients from 22% to 18% or less (addressing SMI). By 9/30/2028, decrease undocumented SUD status from 30% to 20% or less, and by 9/30/2029, increase SUD treatment linkage from 33% to 45% or more (preventing substance misuse, improving treatment access).