Western Arkansas Crisis Response Partnership - Sebastian County, in partnership with Western Arkansas Counseling & Guidance Center (TGC), will restore, enhance, and sustain a behavioral‑health‑led Mobile Crisis Team (MCT) serving children, youth, adults, families, veterans, rural residents, and justice‑involved individuals experiencing mental health, substance use, suicide‑related, overdose‑related, or co‑occurring crises. As the regional hub for behavioral health and emergency services, Sebastian County faces rising crisis call volumes, high suicide and overdose death rates, and the loss of a previously funded MCT, leaving insufficient crisis capacity and heavy reliance on law enforcement and emergency departments. The project will expand timely, community‑based crisis response; strengthen partnerships with 988, 911/PSAP, law enforcement, EMS, hospitals, and community providers; and improve diversion from restrictive settings toward stabilization and care. Strategies include developing an implementation plan; deploying a two‑person behavioral‑health‑led team with peer support and telehealth clinical consultation; establishing standardized referral, dispatch, and diversion protocols; implementing continuous quality improvement; conducting crisis system planning and mapping; delivering evidence‑based crisis training; and developing sustainability strategies. Project goals are to: (1) restore and enhance behavioral‑health‑led mobile crisis response; (2) strengthen crisis‑system partnerships and referral pathways; (3) improve planning, training, quality, and accountability; and (4) build a sustainable crisis response model. Measurable objectives include launching services by Month 6; documenting triage, suicide screening, disposition, and follow‑up in 90% of responses by Year 1; increasing mobile crisis volume 25% by Year 2; achieving community stabilization or direct linkage to care in 75% of responses by Year 4; executing at least 4 partnership agreements within 12 months; increasing diversion outcomes 20% by Year 4; delivering 8 crisis trainings annually with 75% of trainees demonstrating increased knowledge; and completing and updating an annual sustainability plan.
