Mental Health

Services in the CIT and MTS programs are both free of charge, as these services are funded by the Erie County Department of Mental Health and a federal SAMHSA grant. Mental health evaluations done by Mobile Outreach are a billable service, covered by most insurance plans, so Outreach Counselors will ask for insurance information at the time of intake or home visit. However, services will never be denied due to an inability to pay. 

One of the primary goals of all EMHRS services is hospital diversion! We would like to help you to stay out of the hospital whenever this is safely possible. Only in situations where you, or your loved one, are an immediate danger to self or others would a transport be a possible outcome. We want you to stay safe in the community with the support and resources that you need.

In most cases of an immediate crisis, your call will be transferred to our Mobile Outreach Team, who will collect some information from you and help to set up a plan to assist. In most cases, the team (which includes a licensed mental health professional) will go see your loved one at their home, or other safe and confidential setting in the community. We encourage family involvement whenever this is possible. In addition to providing rapid crisis intervention services and assessment, we can provide linkage to ongoing mental health services in the community. We will walk you through the process, so please don’t hesitate to call.

Staff is able to provide assessment over the phone and determine appropriate levels of intervention.

A team of two professionals, including at least one licensed social worker or mental health counselor, can provide face-to-face mental health evaluation and lethality assessment for the individual in crisis. Generally, this is done in the individual’s home, but can also be done at any safe and private location in the community, such as a counselor’s office, a medical facility, or a police station. The goal of the assessment is to stabilize the crisis and assess for the need for referral to additional community services.

While the goal of an assessment is to stabilize the crisis and divert the individual from unnecessary presentation at a psychiatric emergency room, sometimes this is not possible. In order to preserve safety and prevent an individual from harming oneself or others, an involuntary transport to a psychiatric hospital is sometimes necessary. Staff is responsible for assessing whether an individual meets the criteria under Section 9.45 of the New York State Mental Hygiene Law. If this is the case, the individual is transported to Erie County Medical Center for further evaluation by a psychiatrist who determines the need for psychiatric admission.

This service is available to law enforcement officers who encounter an individual who appears to be mentally decompensated and has committed a low-level, non-violent, victimless crime. In lieu of arrest, law enforcement can contact the Mobile Outreach Program to provide assessment and a 9.45 evaluation to determine if a hospital transport or linkage to services is more appropriate for the individual than an arrest.

Staff link individuals in the community in order to maintain mental health and stability. Such linkages may include outpatient counseling, psychiatry, peer support, case management, social services, or housing.

Staff is available for consultation regarding the best course of action for an individual and can access psychiatric consultation 24-Hours a day.