A mental health service is being successfully utilized in Greene County since switching to the new mental health region with Central Iowa Community Services (CICS).

CICS Service Coordination Officer Betsy Stursma says the Mobile Crisis service is available 24-hours per day, 7-days per week, 365-days per year. She notes that anyone can contact their service for a mental health crisis situation that may require immediate help. Two on-call mental health professional staff members from Ames will respond to the call.

“(They) Determine like, ‘What is the crisis? What’s the root of the crisis? What can they do to help them eliminate that crisis?’ If those professionals feel that it does meet the level of hospitalization and that’s really where they need to be is the hospital, they can also assist in getting that person to the hospital. If they don’t feel like it warrants an in-patient hospitalization they do safety planning. ‘You’re really struggling tonight, what can you do, how can you get through the night?’”

Reports show from July to December of 2018, there have been a total of 11 times that Mobile Crisis has been used in Greene County. Majority of those cases were stabilized. The calls over that five month period came from law enforcement, other professional or the individual that needed help. The average monthly time spent for assessment was 70-minutes.

The number for the Mobile Crisis service is 844-258-8858. You can also contact Greene County Coordinator for Disability Services Ellen Ritter at 386-5686 for more information.