Existing federal law establishes the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline program, including the establishment of a national suicide prevention and mental health crisis hotline that may be accessed by dialing the digits 9-8-8. (42 U.S.C. § 290bb-36c) Existing law requires the Division of Public and Behavioral Health of the Department of Health and Human Services to encourage the establishment of and, to the extent that money is available, establish mobile crisis teams to provide community-based intervention for persons who are considering suicide or otherwise in a behavioral health crisis and who access the 9-8-8 hotline. Existing law requires such a mobile crisis team to: (1) be based in the jurisdiction that the team serves and consist of persons professionally qualified in the field of behavioral health and providers of peer recovery support services; (2) be established by a provider of emergency medical services and consist of persons professionally qualified in the field of behavioral health and providers of peer recovery support services; or (3) be established by a law enforcement agency and include law enforcement agents, persons professionally qualified in the field of psychiatric mental health and providers of peer recovery support services. (NRS 433.704) This bill removes requirements concerning the location of a mobile crisis team and who may establish a mobile crisis team. This bill also revises the composition of a mobile crisis team to require that any mobile crisis team established by or with the support of the Division consist of: (1) one or more persons who are professionally qualified in the field of behavioral health; and (2) one or more law enforcement officers, providers of emergency medical services or persons with appropriate expertise in the field of behavioral health, such as a community health worker, a provider of case management services, a provider of peer recovery support services or a similar paraprofessional.

Statutes affected:
As Introduced: 433.704
BDR: 433.704