NC DHHS Launches Mobile Crisis Dispatch Program

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Published March 5th, 2026

Detected March 17th, 2026

Summary

The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services announced a new $1.5 million pilot program, Mobile Crisis Dispatch (MC Dispatch), to improve mental health crisis response. This initiative aims to streamline dispatch processes and expedite mobile crisis team responses to individuals in need, aligning with the Governor's executive order.

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What changed

The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services (NCDHHS) has launched a new pilot program called Mobile Crisis Dispatch (MC Dispatch), backed by a $1.5 million investment. This program establishes a real-time dispatch process designed to improve the response of Mobile Crisis Teams to individuals experiencing mental health crises. Currently operating in 10 eastern North Carolina counties, MC Dispatch aims to connect callers directly to mental health care by expediting mobile response teams, thereby freeing up law enforcement resources. The initiative is a direct response to Governor Josh Stein’s Executive Order 33, which mandates strengthening the state's mental health crisis system.

This program requires collaboration between NCDHHS, Trillium Health Resources, REAL Crisis Intervention, Inc. (the 988 service provider), and partner mobile crisis teams. Regulated entities, specifically healthcare providers involved in mental health crisis services within the pilot region, should be aware of this new dispatch process. While no specific compliance deadline is mentioned for external entities, the program is expected to expand to 27 counties by the end of April and eventually statewide. The NCDHHS will track key performance metrics, including response times and outcomes, to assess the program's effectiveness. This initiative represents a significant effort to enhance the accessibility and efficiency of mental health crisis care in North Carolina.

What to do next

Review the operational details of the MC Dispatch program for potential integration or collaboration opportunities.
Familiarize with the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline's role in directing individuals to mobile crisis services within North Carolina.
Monitor NCDHHS communications for expansion plans to additional counties and statewide implementation.

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RALEIGH Mar 5, 2026 The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services today announced a new pilot program to improve Mobile Crisis Teams’ response when someone experiencing a mental health crisis calls for help. The $1.5 million investment to Trillium Health Resources establishes a real-time dispatch process that streamlines response to individuals in crisis wherever they are.

Mobile Crisis Dispatch (MC Dispatch) is now operating in 10 counties in eastern North Carolina. The initiative is directly in line with Governor Josh Stein’s Executive Order 33 that calls on NCDHHS to strengthen the mental health crisis system. MC Dispatch will get people directly into mental health care with a mobile response team, freeing up law enforcement resources.

"This initiative will connect people in crisis to the care they need by making sure they receive the appropriate level of response more quickly and efficiently," said NC Health and Human Services Secretary Dev Sangvai. "Streamlining this process will help achieve our goal of creating a stronger coordinated system of care."

"During a mental health crisis, seconds can make a difference," said Kelly Crosbie, MSW, LCSW, Director, NCDHHS Division of Mental Health, Developmental Disabilities and Substance Use Disorders. "This new platform will help mobile crisis teams respond quicker. These highly trained counselors can come to a location of the caller’s choosing and will ensure they get the help they need."

MC Dispatch is managed by REAL Crisis Intervention, Inc., North Carolina’s 988 service provider. When someone calls the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline experiencing a mental health crisis that requires Mobile Crisis response within the pilot region, MC Dispatch will either send a mobile crisis team or connect the caller with a provider and other local resources. MC Dispatch is partnering with mobile crisis teams from Integrated Family Services and Easterseals PORT Health in the pilot counties.

The MC Dispatch platform will track key performance metrics to assess response efficiency and service accessibility including:

Response times and adherence to service-level agreements (SLAs)
Client demographics and payer information
Request resolution outcomes
Travel distances for responses
Disposition outcomes and follow-up actions provided The ten counties involved in the first phase are: Duplin, Edgecombe, Greene, Halifax, Lenoir, Nash, Sampson, Warren, Wayne and Wilson counties. The pilot is expected to be operational in 27 eastern North Carolina counties by the end of April with the ultimate goal of expanding it statewide. MC Dispatch is one part of NCDHHS efforts to support a coordinated system of mental health care that makes services easy to access when and where they are needed.

This investment is part of the NC General Assembly’s historic $835 million investment in mental health in 2023, with funds targeted for expanding and improving mental health care in North Carolina.

El Departamento de Salud y Servicios Humanos de Carolina del Norte anunció hoy un nuevo programa piloto para mejorar la respuesta de los Equipos Móviles de Respuesta a Crisis para cuando alguien que experimenta una crisis de salud mental pide ayuda. La inversión de $1.5 millones en Trillium Health Resources establece un proceso de servicio en tiempo real que agiliza la respuesta a las personas en crisis donde quiera que estén.

El Servicio móvil de respuesta ante crisis (Mobile Crisis Dispatch (MC Dispatch)) ahora está operando en 10 condados en el este de Carolina del Norte. La iniciativa está directamente en línea con la Orden Ejecutiva 33 del gobernador Josh Stein que pide a NCDHHS que fortalezca el sistema de crisis de salud mental. MC Dispatch llevará a las personas directamente a la atención de salud mental con un equipo móvil de respuesta ante crisis, liberando recursos de las fuerzas del orden.

"Esta iniciativa conectará a las personas en crisis con la atención que necesitan asegurándose de que reciban el nivel adecuado de respuesta de manera más rápida y eficiente", dijo *Dev Sangvai, Secretario de Salud y Servicios Humanos de Carolina del Norte (NCDHHS, por sus siglas en inglés)*. "La racionalización de este proceso ayudará a lograr nuestro objetivo de crear un sistema de atención coordinado más sólido".

"Durante una crisis de salud mental, los segundos pueden marcar la diferencia", dijo *Kelly Crosbie, MSW, LCSW, Directora de la División de Salud Mental, Discapacidades del Desarrollo y Trastornos por Uso de Sustancias de NCDHHS*. "Esta nueva plataforma ayudará a los equipos móviles de crisis a responder más rápido. Estos consejeros altamente capacitados pueden acudir a un lugar que elija la persona que llama y se asegurarán de que reciban la ayuda que necesitan".

MC Dispatch es administrado por REAL Crisis Intervention, Inc., el proveedor de servicios de la Línea 988 de Carolina del Norte. Cuando alguien llama a la Línea 988 de Prevención del Suicidio y Crisis mientras experimenta una crisis de salud mental que requiere un equipo móvil de respuesta a crisis dentro de la región piloto, MC Dispatch enviará un equipo de crisis móvil o conectará a la persona que llama con un proveedor y otros recursos locales. MC Dispatch está colaborando con equipos móviles de crisis de Integrated Family Services y Easterseals PORT Health en los condados piloto.

La plataforma de MC Dispatch realizará un seguimiento de las métricas clave de rendimiento para evaluar la eficiencia de la respuesta y la accesibilidad del servicio, incluyendo:

Tiempos de respuesta y cumplimiento de los acuerdos de nivel de servicio (SLA, por sus siglas en inglés)
Datos demográficos del cliente e información del pagador
Resultados de la resolución de los servicios
Distancias de viaje para las respuestas
Resultados de la disposición y acciones de seguimiento proporcionadas Los diez condados involucrados en la primera fase son: Duplin, Edgecombe, Greene, Halifax, Lenoir, Nash, Sampson, Warren, Wayne y Wilson. Se espera que el piloto esté operativo en 27 condados del este de Carolina del Norte a fines de abril con el objetivo final de expandirlo en todo el estado. MC Dispatch es una parte de los esfuerzos de NCDHHS para apoyar un sistema coordinado de atención de salud mental que facilite el acceso a los servicios cuando y donde se necesiten.

Esta inversión es parte de la histórica inversión de $835 millones de la Asamblea General de Carolina del Norte en salud mental en 2023, con fondos destinados a expandir y mejorar la atención de salud mental en Carolina del Norte.