Westmoreland County to expand mobile crisis unit for mental health emergencies

Westmoreland County is getting a $372,000 grant to expand its mobile crisis unit that responds to mental health emergencies as a “988” number expected to be rolled out this summer could lead to an increase in need.

Westmoreland Community Action, which operates a local crisis hotline and unit with Westmoreland County Behavioral Health, is adding five positions, said CEO Mandy Welty Zalich. The money also will be used to expand technological capabilities for the local call center, as the 988 number will operate like 911 to connect callers to a national suicide-prevention hotline.

The change will make the number easy to remember and direct callers to resources where they live, Zalich said.

“It’s definitely going to lead to an increase in the number of calls that we’ll receive as an agency,” she said.

The Federal Communications Commission in 2019 approved the creation of the three-digit number for people experiencing mental health issues. The number will send callers directly to the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline. Phone companies have until July to implement it.

The state Department of Human Services was awarded $340,000 in January 2021 for planning and infrastructure development related to the change.

The state has 13 call centers that work with the national hotline, and officials are making sure they can handle a potential increase in volume, according to Ali Fogarty, DHS spokeswoman. The recent awarding of $28 million in federal grants to support mental health services statewide will help agencies “plan for and implement crisis mental health services that may be needed to support callers” to the hotline, she said.

The county’s hotline received 603 crisis calls in January, Zalich said. The mobile crisis unit was dispatched 27 times in January and 26 times in December. The agency is planning to add one full-time position and four part-timers to the unit.

“I think the need is probably even greater than what we see,” she said.

Oftentimes, a caller to the local hotline can be assisted by phone, she said. The mobile crisis unit, typically consisting of two people, can be sent to a mental health emergency that requires more attention. Zalich said she expects an increase in calls as the 988 number becomes more widely known.

“The key for the success is having staff,” she said.

The Westmoreland Community Action crisis hotline can be reached at 800-836-6010. The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline can be reached at 800-273-8255.