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Report regarding an update on the Mental Health Clinician and Community Wellness and Crisis Response Team Pilot Program (Mika Celli, Licensed Crisis Response Clinician, Amy Ferguson, Management Fellow, and Lieutenant Adam Plank, South San Francisco Police Department)
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RECOMMENDATION
It is recommended that the City Council meet Mental Health Clinician, Mika Celli and receive an update on the launch of the Community Wellness and Crisis Response Team pilot program.
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BACKGROUND
The South San Francisco Commission on Racial and Social Equity, which concluded in July 2021, set as one of its top priorities the creation of a police-mental health response team for mental health crises, substance use, and homelessness, focused on conflict management, de-escalation, and linking people to supportive services. In the 2021 calendar year, SSFPD is trending towards 450 5150 cases (temporary mandatory placement in a medical facility for psychiatric evaluation and treatment under Section 5150 of the Welfare and Institutions Code), where an officer investigated and completed a case report. The work of the Commission on Racial and Social Equity is a driving force for the creation of the Community Wellness and Crisis Response Team (CWCRT) pilot program in South San Francisco. CWCRT is a direct and streamlined community health response to those experiencing a mental health crisis.
DISCUSSION
The Community Wellness and Crisis Response Team (CWCRT) is a law enforcement and mental health partnership between the South San Francisco Police Department (SSFPD), StarVista, and Behavioral Health and Recovery Services (BHRS) of San Mateo County Health Department, designed to optimally respond to individuals experiencing behavioral health crises. The CWCRT is a collaborative co-response model approach to presently occurring behavioral crisis situations, acknowledging that optimal support for those in crisis results from a partnership between law enforcement and mental healt...
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