Mental and Behavioral Health

MARC serves as the coordinating body for the 988 Mobile Crisis Response Steering Response Committee representing Clay, Jackson, Platte and Ray counties in Missouri. Together, certified community behavioral health clinics and affiliates work to create a better, more efficient and standardized mobile crisis response service across the region.

Learn more about the 988 Mobile Crisis Response Steering Committee

Working together to meet community mental health needs

Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinics (CCBHCs) keep our communities safer by addressing the mental health and well-being of children and adults. While there are many partners doing the important work of promoting mental wellness and offering counseling and other supportive services, there are still instances of mental health crisis that arise.

Crisis Assistance

Someone to talk to

988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline

The 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline, previously known as the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline, offers 24/7 call, text and chat access to trained crisis counselors who can help people experiencing suicidal, substance use, and/or mental health crisis, or any other kind of emotional distress.

People can also call, text or chat 988 if they are worried about a loved one who may need crisis support.

An icon depicting a caring person wearting a headset

Visit the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline

An icon depicting a person helping someone in crisis

Someone to respond

Mobile Crisis Response Teams

If help from the crisis line is not enough, a mobile team can respond to meet the person where they are and provide in-person help. The Mobile Crisis Team is made up of trained mental health professionals who offer safe, compassionate care to help with immediate needs, and provide referrals and follow-up services to help prevent additional crisis situations in the future. Law enforcement is not a part of the Mobile Crisis Team.

The mobile crisis response system operates differently on either side of the state line in the Kansas City region.

In Kansas, CCBHCs are charged by statute with providing a community-based public mental health services safety net.
In Missouri, privately owned CCBHCs and/or affiliates are responsible for providing mental and behavioral health services based in state-defined service areas.

In the Kansas City region, this means multiple agencies serve the city of Kansas City and the surrounding area.

View Missouri Service Areas

Approach

Background

CCBHC leaders and partners compiled and published findings outlining a shared approach to launching 988 across Missouri counties in the Kansas City region. These findings are the result of a six-month, community-led process to identify mental health crisis hotline best practices, opportunities for improvement and ideas to collaborate for a better future in mental health response.

Read the published findings

Building

The 988 Mobile Crisis Response Steering Committee meets regularly to create a better, more efficient and standardized mobile crisis across the region. In the first year of this steering committee, the collaborative provided 478 mobile crisis responses with zero resulting in the use of restraints and/or involuntary transfer to jail, prison, or police departments. 96% of mobile crisis responses met the goal of being within one hour, with an average response time under 30 minutes.

Bettering

Partnerships are necessary to ensure that the system is responsive to and culturally appropriate for all community members. We welcome your recommendations and feedback for Mobile Crisis Response services from any of our partner agencies.

Request resources

Help spread the word of 988 and the Mobile Crisis Response services in the greater Kansas City area by sharing our resources.

Request materials

Our collaborative developed a simple 8.5" by 5.5" rack card for the general public that includes information on 988 and mobile crisis response. Help spread awareness by requesting copies of this card to display in your community.

Partner with us

We rely on a larger network of care providers to help with ancillary services that go beyond emergency mental health crisis services. Learn more about how you can become a trusted partner in this work.

News and updates

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Neon-lit trucks promoting 988 Lifeline to take part in…

October 02, 2024

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Collaboration between law enforcement and behavioral…

July 15, 2024

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Regional partnership receives $3 million grant to…

September 27, 2022

988 Suicide Hotline available to help people experiencing a mental health crisis.

Disclaimer

Funding for this initiative was made possible by grant no. 1H79SM087236-01 from SAMHSA. The views expressed in written conference materials or publications and by speakers and moderators do not necessarily reflect the official policies of the Department of Health and Human Services; nor does mention of trade names, commercial practices, or organizations imply endorsement by the U.S. Government.

Acknowledgments

We would like to thank the Health Forward Foundation, the REACH Healthcare Foundation and SAMHSA for supporting and guiding this work.