City of missoula - missoula mobile crisis team (MCT) expansion project - city of missoula - missoula mobile crisis team (MCT) expansion project the city of missoula mobile crisis team (MCT)…

The Department of Health and Human Services Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration awarded the City of Missoula $726,647 on September 30, 2026, to expand the Missoula Mobile Crisis Team (MCT) under the Center for Mental Health Services Projects of Regional and National Significance program (CFDA 93.532).

The MCT expansion will add a third mobile crisis response unit to the existing two-unit team and extend service capacity into underserved rural areas of Missoula County. The project will increase daily operating hours from ten to as many as eighteen hours, building a pathway toward 24-hour coverage. Since 2020, MCT clinicians and emergency medical technicians have resolved thousands of behavioral health crises in the community, diverting individuals from emergency rooms, jails, and unnecessary law enforcement involvement. The expansion targets residents of Missoula County experiencing behavioral health crises, with particular focus on youth, adults with serious mental illness or substance use disorders, veterans, justice-involved individuals, individuals experiencing homelessness or housing instability, and rural county residents. Rural and unincorporated areas including East Missoula, Clinton, Bonner, Evaro, Huson, and Condon comprise 41 percent of the county's population but received only 18 percent of MCT responses in 2025.

The award funds performance from September 30, 2026, through September 29, 2030, with work performed in Missoula, Montana.

City of missoula - missoula mobile crisis team (MCT) expansion project - city of missoula - missoula mobile crisis team (MCT) expansion project the city of missoula mobile crisis team (MCT) expansion project will support residents of missoula county in behavioral health crisis by adding an additional mobile crisis response unit to meet growing demand, extending service hours, and strengthening countywide partnerships in missoula county, montana. Since 2020, MCT clinicians and emts have safely resolved thousands of behavioral health crises in the community, diverting people from emergency rooms, jails, and unnecessary law enforcement involvement. This expansion will add a third unit to the already existing team and will extend the model into underserved rural areas. This additional unit will expand daily operating hours from 10 to as many as 18 and build a pathway toward 24-hour coverage. Missoula county, montana's third-largest county by population (124,555 residents across 2,600 square miles), is the project's catchment area. While 59% of county residents live within the city of missoula, rural and unincorporated communities - including east missoula, clinton, bonner, evaro, huson, and condon - are growing faster than the urban core. These outlying areas received only 18% of MCT's 2025 responses despite comprising 41% of the county's population. The population of focus for this project are individuals of all ages in missoula county experiencing a behavioral health crisis, with particular attention to groups at elevated risk: youth, adults with serious mental illness or substance use disorders, veterans, justice-involved individuals, individuals experiencing homelessness or housing instability, and rural county residents. The goals and objectives of the project, aligned with samsha's strategic priorities, are as follows: goal 1 - expand the missoula MCT response capacity • objective 1.1: develop an MCT services implementation plan by month 4 of the award period. • objective 1.2: establish and fully staff a third MCT response unit in missoula county within 6 months of award. • objective 1.3: increase MCT's evaluation and administrative support capacity by the end of year 1. Goal 2 - expand MCT coverage hours and geographic reach • objective 2.1 - by the end of year 1, increase MCT hours of operation from 10 to 14 hours daily consistent with the year 1 staffing plan in the project budget. • objective 2.2 - by the end of year 2, expand MCT hours to an 18-hour daily schedule and complete a plan for full 24-hour coverage by the end of the project period. • objective 2.3 - increase the share of MCT responses occurring in outlying/rural missoula county above the current 18% baseline, using heat-mapping and situation-table data to target expansion. Goal 3 -strengthen the missoula mobile crisis system through partnerships and sustainable funding. • objective 3.1- by the end of year 1, finalize a new DCO (direct care organization) agreement with aware's certified community behavioral health clinic (ccbhc) and updated existing interlocal agreements with PHC and missoula county. • objective 3.2 - by the end of the project period, complete a long-term business plan and reimbursement strategy to support a 24-hour implementation model with diversified funding. All of our work will be strengthened by existing and expanded community partnership and enhanced evaluation capacity that will allow US to better identify gaps in the community and work together to build the behavioral health crisis continuum of care in missoula county.