Yellowstone county mobile crisis team partnership - yellowstone city county health department DBA riverstone health will establish the yellowstone county mobile crisis team partnership to implement…

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

Riverstone Health will establish the Yellowstone County Mobile Crisis Team Partnership to implement a behavioral health-led mobile crisis response system serving Yellowstone County, Montana. The mobile crisis team will provide assessment, de-escalation, suicide and overdose risk screening, stabilization, safety planning, care coordination, follow-up within 72 hours, and warm handoffs to ongoing treatment and recovery services. The project will serve individuals across the lifespan experiencing behavioral health crises, including youth, adults, veterans, individuals with serious mental illness, individuals with substance use disorders, individuals with co-occurring conditions, people experiencing suicidal ideation or overdose risk, justice-involved individuals, frequent emergency department users, and residents of rural communities with limited access to care.

Implementation will occur in phases: mobile crisis team services will launch in Billings within six months of award, expand to 24/7/365 coverage by the end of year 2, and extend services into rural Yellowstone County by the end of year 3. The project runs through September 29, 2030, with place of performance in Billings, Montana. Partnerships include Montana 988 Lifeline providers, Yellowstone County 911 Communications, EMS agencies, local hospitals, law enforcement agencies, and the Community Crisis Center.

Yellowstone county mobile crisis team partnership - yellowstone city county health department DBA riverstone health will establish the yellowstone county mobile crisis team partnership to implement a behavioral health-led mobile crisis response system serving yellowstone county, montana. Yellowstone county is the largest county in montana by population and serves as the regional center for healthcare, behavioral health, and public safety services. Despite the presence of 988 and a longstanding crisis receiving center, mobile crisis response remains a significant GAP in the local crisis continuum. The county continues to experience elevated rates of suicide, substance use disorders, overdose deaths, behavioral health-related EMS incidents, and crisis calls requiring law enforcement or emergency department involvement. The project will serve individuals across the lifespan experiencing behavioral health crises, including youth, adults, veterans, individuals with serious mental illness, individuals with substance use disorders, individuals with CO-occurring conditions, people experiencing suicidal ideation or overdose risk, justice-involved individuals, frequent emergency department users, and residents of rural communities with limited access to care. Through a phased implementation approach, the project will launch mobile crisis team services in billings within six months of award, expand to 24/7/365 coverage by the end of year 2, and extend services into rural yellowstone county by the end of year 3. The MCT will provide mobile crisis assessment, DE-escalation, suicide and overdose risk screening, stabilization, safety planning, care coordination, follow-up within 72 hours, and warm handoffs to ongoing treatment and recovery services. The project will be implemented through partnerships with montana 988 lifeline providers, yellowstone county 911 communications, EMS agencies, local hospitals, law enforcement agencies, the community crisis center, behavioral health providers, and community-based organizations to strengthen coordination across the behavioral health crisis continuum. Over the four-year project period, the project will increase diversion from law-enforcement-only behavioral health crisis response by 20% by year 2, reduce behavioral health-related emergency department utilization among individuals served by 10% in year 1, 20% in year 2, and 25% by years 3 and 4, and achieve community-based stabilization for at least 60% of crisis encounters by year 2 while maintaining or improving that rate thereafter. The project will also increase diversion from involuntary commitment, incarceration, and unnecessary emergency department transport by 10% by year 3 when clinically appropriate and safe and reduce law enforcement time spent on behavioral health crisis incidents by 20% by year 3. To improve continuity of care, the project will provide follow-up contact within 72 hours for at least 90% of individuals served, ensure that at least 80% of individuals receive documented referrals or warm handoffs to treatment and community supports, increase successful linkage to behavioral health and community-based services by 25% by year 2 and 40% by year 4, and achieve at least 85% client satisfaction among survey respondents by the end of the project period. By establishing a sustainable, countywide mobile crisis response system, ycmctp will improve access to behavioral health care, reduce reliance on costly emergency response systems, strengthen public safety and healthcare partnerships, and improve outcomes for individuals experiencing behavioral health crises throughout yellowstone county.