The 2021 Utah Legislature is on track to pass the Mobile Crisis Outreach Team Expansion bill. Senate Bill 0070 would expand and fund the creation of additional mobile crisis outreach teams (MCOTs) to reach every county statewide.
MCOTs comprise mental health professionals and peer support specialists. The team members are trained to assist in a situation when someone is experiencing a severe mental health crisis. They respond quickly and can offer on site assessment and crisis intervention.
Studies show that when someone with mental illness is acting in an irrational or threatening manner, the first call tends to be 911. Police should not be put into the position of managing a mental illness crisis. The presence of uniforms and flashing lights may even induce more extreme behavior. Unfortunately, arrest may be seen as the only alternative to managing an escalating or dangerous situation. But those living with mental illness do not belong in the penal system.
The Utah Legislature should be commended for its acknowledgment that MCOTs must be more readily available throughout the state. Now it is up to those working in the field of mental health to ensure that awareness of the units is widespread, especially in the counties that will have these units available for the first time.
Community members, first responders, and mental health workers need to become intimately familiar with the MCOT role and how to reach a team. Information in the form of posters, flyers, newspaper articles, and public service announcements should flood communities with this vital information. An extended effort must be made to reach minority populations, especially those with cultural and language barriers that may impede their ability to reach out for assistance.
Tara Byrne, Park City