Berkeley, CA – In a significant step toward improving responses to mental health crises, the Specialized Care Unit (SCU), known as Berkeley’s mobile crisis team, began taking calls on Tuesday. The SCU, part of a $4.5 million two-year pilot program overseen by mental health care organization Bonita House, aims to provide dedicated mental health crisis support.
As of the launch, Bonita House has already hired five SCU team members, with ongoing recruitment efforts, as disclosed by Samantha Russell, the nonprofit’s Director of Crisis Services, during an informative town hall-style Zoom meeting held on August 16.
Once fully staffed, the SCU will deploy rotating teams consisting of three professionals – a behavioral health technician, a peer support specialist, and an Emergency Medical Technician (EMT). These teams will be available around the clock, answering crisis calls that would traditionally have been directed to the city’s police department.
Initially, the SCU’s response will be limited to daytime hours, with the intention of expanding its availability as additional staff and vehicles become accessible. The city has procured vans for SCU use, although they are not yet ready for deployment. In the interim, rented vans will be utilized, albeit without wheelchair ramps; however, permanent vans equipped with such accessibility features are in the pipeline.
A pivotal aspect of the SCU initiative is diverting calls related to mental health or substance crises away from the police department’s dispatch center. The SCU has established its dedicated 10-digit phone number, 510-948-0075, which individuals can call to seek assistance for mental health, behavioral, or substance-related crises.
Samantha Russell clarified that while the SCU will check voicemails daily in the mornings, they will not be able to provide immediate responses to emergencies. For psychiatric emergencies, individuals are still urged to dial 911.
The SCU’s scope of assistance encompasses individuals experiencing symptoms of a mental health or behavioral crisis, including anxiety, feelings of helplessness, social withdrawal, agitation, and struggles with substance use. Additionally, the SCU can perform wellness checks and respond to reports of individuals contemplating self-harm or harm to others.
Notably, the Berkeley Police Department handles over 60,000 calls for service each year, with approximately 2,500 to 3,000 of these requests dedicated solely to welfare checks, according to data from the department’s transparency hub.
However, it’s important to note that the SCU can only offer very basic medical care, and certain situations may still necessitate a 911 response for more serious medical emergencies.
The conception of the Specialized Care Unit dates back to June 2020, immediately following the murder of George Floyd by former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin. The primary goal was to redirect “non-criminal” calls for service from the city police to a network of crisis responders, as outlined in a City Council proposal.
