March 28, 2025 – In a decisive move to improve mental health services in the city, the Austin City Council has approved a $1.46 million funding package aimed at expanding mental health crisis response capabilities. The funding will be used to hire additional mental health specialists and extend the hours of a crisis phone line, ensuring a more robust and accessible response to residents facing mental health emergencies.
Enhancing Crisis Services with More Specialists
The funding will enable Integral Care, the Travis County mental health authority, to significantly enhance its Crisis Call Diversion Program (C3) and Expanded Mobile Crisis Outreach Team. These teams play a critical role in stabilizing individuals experiencing mental health crises, such as suicidal ideation, paranoia, and psychosis, by providing direct in-person intervention and over-the-phone support.
According to Kedra Priest, the practice administrator of crisis services, the new funding will create more than 15 new positions to support these efforts. Integral Care currently fields over 350 to 400 mental health-related calls per month, and this funding will ensure that all calls are properly addressed. Priest emphasized the importance of having sufficient capacity to handle these calls, as previous gaps in service meant some calls were redirected to police rather than receiving specialized mental health support.
Extending Crisis Line Availability to 24/7
A key part of the funding is the extension of operating hours for the mental health crisis line, which is currently available from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. on weekdays and 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. on weekends. With the new budget allocation, the line will be expanded to operate 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, making it a critical, around-the-clock resource for individuals in need of immediate mental health assistance.
Priest expressed her enthusiasm for the expansion, saying, “It makes me very excited that they recognize the needs of our community and want a skilled mental health response for those individuals that are experiencing a mental health crisis. 24/7 is really exciting and a really valuable resource.”
Supporting University Students with Crisis Counseling
In addition to Integral Care’s services, the University of Texas offers its own 24/7 mental health crisis line under the Counseling and Mental Health Center, ensuring that students receive prompt responses from crisis counselors when needed.
Expanding Resources and Reducing Stigma
Angela Carr, the division chief for Austin-Travis County Emergency Medical Services (EMS), noted that the collaboration between paramedics and the Mobile Crisis Outreach Team is a vital part of the city’s comprehensive approach to mental health emergencies. She stressed the importance of reducing the stigma surrounding mental health and fostering open conversations about mental health support. “It’s totally appropriate and usually the best way to go,” Carr said, encouraging people to reach out when they need help.
Faster Implementation and Continued Advocacy
Priest underscored the urgency of implementing these changes, stating that it was crucial for Integral Care to quickly hire the new staff members and transition to 24-hour service to better serve the community. She further emphasized the importance of mental health services being viewed as an essential public service, alongside fire, EMS, and police support. “My hope is that, in some ways, it will communicate to everyone that this is something that many people experience, and we want you to receive the support that is appropriate in those times,” Priest said.
With this new funding, Austin is taking critical steps toward creating a more supportive and responsive mental health crisis infrastructure, ensuring that residents facing mental health emergencies have access to the care and resources they need, when they need them.
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