Instead of calling 911 during a mental health crisis, advocates encouraging call to county

NINA MOINI: A mental health advocacy group wants you to add a new contact to your phone, your county, or tribal mobile crisis response team. These are mental health professionals who go to homes and other places in communities to help people in crisis. They also respond to some calls to 911 and 988, the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline. But Minnesota's chapter of the National Alliance on Mental Health-- Mental Illness, rather-- says few people know these teams exist.

Marcus Schmit is the new executive director of NAMI Minnesota. He's a week into the role and joins me on the line now. Thanks so much for being with us this afternoon, and nice to meet you.

MARCUS SCHMIT: Hey, thanks, Nina. I appreciate the time.

NINA MOINI: Welcome to the new role. And congratulations. You're coming out here. You're wanting to get the word out about this. I must admit, I didn't know that every county had something like this or a number to call. Why do you think people don't know that these resources or teams exist?

MARCUS SCHMIT: That's right, Nina. I think a big reason is that people assume that 911 is always the call to make, and that so many people these days are getting information from just such a wide variety of sources. So that's really one of the reasons that we want to spend so much time here. As we look to the holidays, the days are getting longer, darker, and this is a great opportunity to remind people about our mobile crisis response teams.

NINA MOINI: Tell me a little bit about the history of the teams, if you would. When did they begin to be created? Why were they created?

MARCUS SCHMIT: Yeah. So mobile crisis response has been around for a few decades now and has just been kind of a steady investment, in part because of all the effort from advocates like NAMI Minnesota, but [AUDIO OUT] the aim of mobile crisis response has really been about reaching people who are in mental health crisis and they need those resources at the right time in their communities.

And so I think really things have evolved. We've learned a lot more about the needs for individuals who are experiencing mental illness and also the needs of their friends, families, and neighbors who want to make sure that they get those services that they need in those moments of crisis.

NINA MOINI: So some of these 911 and 988 calls, like we talked about, are directed to mobile crisis response teams. Why do you recommend people directly call these county numbers?

MARCUS SCHMIT: These teams are led by licensed mental health professionals who are specifically trained in de-escalating these crises, making sure that safety plans are created, and connecting these individuals and families to the ongoing care and resources that they need. Other resources, 911, 988 are trained and they're adequate, but they're not always connecting individuals and families in these crisis to what they need in those moments.

And we know that families and friends who are helping individuals in crisis really have a better understanding in the moment of what those [AUDIO OUT] --people to justcallmn.org, find the number for their local mobile crisis response team, save it, share it with friends, people at schools, workplaces, so that in those moments of crisis, they're able to get connected to the resources that they need as quickly as possible.

NINA MOINI: And is it justcallmn.com? I just want--

MARCUS SCHMIT: It's justcallmn.com.

NINA MOINI: Com. OK, just wanted to make sure. It's not a dot org, just so that people know. So go there, figure out, type in where you are, find the thing that's closest to you. What are some of the examples of some of the common situations where this would be a good fit? Because I know there have been other types of response to calls for crisis that sometimes they can escalate or people don't know, is it time to call the police in or somebody who may be armed. How do you navigate those situations or how do these programs do that at the county level?

MARCUS SCHMIT: Yeah, that's a great question. And every situation is unique. If there is any sort of violent situation, we always urge people to reach out to 911. For situations where there may be individuals experiencing crisis and they know that they need a different resource, the people who are with them in those situations know that they need [AUDIO OUT] on site to connect them to the resources and help de-escalate those situations. That's really where we want to emphasize getting people connected to the mobile crisis response team.

NINA MOINI: And I want to ask a couple more questions, just about response times and staffing level, not to be overly critical or skeptical. I just, I think sometimes I think of the need for mental health professionals and the resources that are needed. And I wonder, are folks going to be redirected? Are there enough staff, I guess, to fit the need or what's being done about that?

MARCUS SCHMIT: Sure. Well, we know that workforce challenges are real, particularly in direct service and mental health services now. Response times across the state vary. We know in the metro, the average response time is about 40 minutes or less. But greater Minnesota, they, as we know, have geographical challenges and workforce challenges that are unique to their communities. And so while the majority of responses outside of the Twin Cities metro are under two hours, we really need to be thinking about how we can support workforce across the state and making sure that we're responding to those local needs within the community so that they are adequately supported.

And I just want to take the opportunity to thank members of these mobile crisis response teams across the [AUDIO OUT] also wearing multiple hats, and they need to be available 24/7 to provide services to their friends, family, and neighbors in need.

NINA MOINI: Wow. Yeah, really important work. If someone does make a call and is in that situation, say, for a loved one, or perhaps for a neighbor, for someone in distress, do you have recommendations for what to do within that response time? Would somebody stay on the phone with them?

MARCUS SCHMIT: Yeah, so when they get connected to those mobile crisis response teams, there is an intervention. And we know that people are getting those services that they need in the moment. For any individual who may be with that person who's experiencing that crisis, just continuing to provide that support, projecting calm in the situation, and really making sure that you're staying connected to that mobile crisis response.

We also know that there are some creative activities happening across the state in greater Minnesota. One of those is the use of video tablets. While those mobile crisis response teams are being deployed, one of the ways that they're able to fill that gap during those longer travel times is by connecting individuals to a video tablet or video over a cell phone.

NINA MOINI: What would you call upon, or who would you call upon, to help bolster this program and increase it? I understand people might get billed through insurance. Congress is cutting funding for Medicaid. Are you concerned about some of the impacts from federal funding, or what types of resources would you really love to come through for this?

MARCUS SCHMIT: Well, we certainly know we need more funding as we think about mental health resources across the state. And we have concerns about what's happening at the federal level, specifically cuts to Medicaid, which is really so foundational to mental health resources in Minnesota.

When we think about mobile crisis response teams and we think about making sure that we're getting people connected to those resources, just really want to urge teachers, schools, mental health professionals, community leaders, coaches, right, and family friends to share the information about mobile crisis response in those areas and through those resources that are unique to each community. We really are urging people to check out justcallmn.com, get that information, and use those local resources to make sure that everybody we can has that information, because you just never know when these mental health crises are going to occur.

NINA MOINI: Yeah. I went and I looked and it just took a few minutes. So a few minutes and one day you might be really glad you have that number on you.

You know, Marcus, you are taking over at a time. We mentioned you're just kind of new in this role. You're taking over at a time of a lot of challenges. What are your biggest goals for however long you get to be in this role? What are you looking forward to?

MARCUS SCHMIT: Well, this is an issue that is really important to me, both as an individual and also as a father of two kids, who I just want to make sure that I'm providing the resources to them and others. So I want to use my platform to make it OK to get people connected to the resources that exist.

I also, at this period of transition for such an important organization here at NAMI Minnesota, I want to help this team. We have an incredible team here that's doing work across the state, transition under new leadership. And I certainly want to do my part here, as a leader of NAMI Minnesota, to just be a really good partner, a really good resource, and continue to build on the important work that's been happening here at NAMI Minnesota for several years now.

NINA MOINI: Marcus, thank you for coming by Minnesota Now. Congratulations on your new role and wishing you the best. Thank you.

MARCUS SCHMIT: Hey, thanks, Nina.

NINA MOINI: Marcus Schmit is Executive Director of NAMI Minnesota. If you or a loved one is experiencing a crisis, you can call or text 988, the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline. You can also find the number, like we were just talking about, for your local crisis team at justcallmn.com.