Governor Newsom announced that he has signed several bills, including the Budget Act of 2022, which allocates $1.8 million to the City of Alameda’s CARE Team (Community Assessment Response & Engagement), a 24/7/365 alternative response for individuals facing a mental health crisis. The City thanks Assemblymember Mia Bonta for championing funding for this critical project as part of the budget process.

Last spring, the Alameda City Council approved a series of recommendations from the community-led police reform and racial equity steering committee that included evaluating options to shift responsibility for mental health from the Police Department to non-police programs. The City Council approved a mental health-oriented response pilot program led by the Alameda Fire Department (AFD) in July and approved a proposal from Alameda Family Services (AFS) to provide case management and licensed clinician services in September.

This pilot program was named the CARE Team (Community Assessment Response & Engagement) and began delivering services on December 16, 2021, triaging and assessing clients to assist them with navigating the best path forward to obtain needed services. CARE Team staff consists of licensed Paramedics and Emergency Medical Technicians (EMTs) trained in mental health response, de-escalation, and crisis intervention. Additionally, through a contract with the City, AFS provides case consultation for CARE Team field units, clinical field response when needed, and case management/follow-up support for clients.

This spring, the City Council authorized an extension of the CARE Team pilot until June 30, 2023. The $1.8 million in State revenues coming to the City of Alameda will fund the CARE Team pilot program for one year. The City is grateful for the support of this program by Senator Skinner as chair of the budget committee.

The CARE Team has the potential to make a significant impact in Alameda and can be used as a model in other cities, fostering positive outcomes for community members experiencing a mental health crisis. In the first six months, the CARE Team averaged 88 responses per month, a 74% increase in engagements when compared to last year. Alameda Family Services on-call consultants were initiated in around 20% of dispatches and provide ongoing case management to 40% of CARE Team clients. The CARE Team serves the entire community, with the most responses for individuals 10-19 years old and 20-29 years old. With the CARE Team, individuals who required transport to a psychiatric or medical facility has been significantly reduced from 85% of individuals requiring transport to 37% with the CARE Team.

If you are experiencing an emergency, always call 911. If you are in crisis or see someone who may be experiencing a crisis, call 911 or call 510-337-8340 and ask for the CARE Team to respond.

Download and share the press release here.