Teams dispatched through 988 will provide on-site assessment, brief intervention and connections to ongoing care

Organ Mountain News report

LAS CRUCES - Families & Youth Innovations Plus has launched a 24/7 Mobile Crisis Team for Doña Ana County, dispatching licensed clinicians and trained crisis providers through the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline to respond to mental health and substance use emergencies across all age groups.

FYI+ is the county’s sole Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinic. The new team will offer on-site mental health assessments, brief interventions, de-escalation and emotional support. After the immediate response, providers will help with safety planning and connect people to ongoing care — outpatient therapy, community supports or hospitalization if needed.

“To request the FYI+ Mobile Crisis Team, anyone may call 988,” the organization said. 988 operators assess each situation, and if a mobile response is needed and the caller accepts it, a team is dispatched to the person’s location.

“Our Mobile Crisis Team will be available anytime, 365 days a year,” said Michelle Schilling, FYI+ director of clinical services. “And it will be very easy for someone having a mental health crisis to contact 988.”

Schilling said a trauma-informed mobile response can reduce reliance on emergency rooms or law enforcement for people who may not need immediate hospitalization or arrest.

“As a CCBHC, FYI+ has expanded and strengthened our continuum of care model, which includes resources, supports and clinical behavioral health services,” said CEO Brian Kavanaugh. “The availability of our mobile crisis response team reinforces our ‘no-wrong-door’ approach and allows us to meet participants where they are in their most vulnerable moments.”

FYI+ said it plans to expand services in Anthony and Hatch to reach more residents. The agency provides person-centered mental health care, substance use treatment and primary care screening for youth and adults. More information is available at fyiplusnm.org. To request a mobile crisis response, call 988.