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Welcome to the January 2026 Issue of the Alternative Crisis Response Monthly Newsletter

County of Los Angeles, California sent this bulletin at 01/30/2026 12:10 PM PST

Welcome to the January 2026 Alternative Crisis Response (ACR) Monthly Newsletter!

Los Angeles County Proposes Innovative Pilot Program to Restore Support for LGBTQ+ Youth through the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline

On December 9, 2025, the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors approved a motion designed to restore specialized support for LGBTQ+ youth under the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline. The motion directed the Los Angeles County Department of Mental Health to request federal approval of a program that would provide Los Angeles County residents who call 988 with the option of speaking with a counselor specially trained in supporting LGBTQ+ youth. The motion also expresses support for Assembly Bill 1540, introduced and authored by Assemblymember Mark Gonzalez, which would restore these services throughout the state of California.

These programs would restore services that were terminated by the Trump Administration in July 2025. Since 2022, 988 has offered callers the option through an automated phone tree to “Press 3,” which connected callers to trained counselors who specialize in supporting LGBTQ+ young people. Since 2022, the LGBTQ+ youth subnetwork of 988 has handled over 1.5 million contacts nationwide. In the year prior to its termination, one in every seven 988 callers, utilized the "Press 3” option. This includes 73,000 calls from California alone between July 2024 and June 2025.

The County is eager to restore the “Press 3” option because it was a remarkably effective tool for reaching LGBTQ+ youth in crisis, who are over four times more likely to attempt suicide than their heterosexual peers. Research shows LGTBA+ youth face significantly higher risks of bullying, harassment and mental health crises.

In July 2025, federal contracts supporting these specialized services were abruptly ended, leaving LGTBQ+ youth without tailored crisis care. The proposed Los Angeles County pilot and AB 1540 address this gap. The goal is to ensure all LGBTQ+ youth in California once again access to lifesaving, affirming crisis support potentially saving thousands of lives each year.

ACR Year in Review

122,000 calls to LA County 988 and crisis calls to the LACDMH 24/7 Help Line

23,000 clients provided in-person support by DMH mobile crisis intervention teams

500,000 “Who Do I Call for Help” resource cards distributed throughout the community

172 million impressions, ACR Marketing Campaign

ACR had a record high call volume to 988 and a record high number of mobile crisis team dispatches for 2025.

ACR 2026 Priorities

Each year, the ACR unit engages in a strategic planning process to set goals for the year, the goals below are priority areas for 2026.

Get to clients faster.
Ensure LA County has the best 988.
Ensure ACR is a true alternative to law enforcement.
Use data to improve quality and outcomes.
Ensure ACR serves LA’s population.

Presentations

A core goal of the ACR program is to ensure communities know when, how and where to access mental health services when in crisis. Our presentations have highlighted available resources, explained the ACR program and have helped community members gain more knowledge of who we are!

In 2025, the ACR team led over 50 community outreach presentations. We covered Clergy Breakfasts, Health Neighborhood meetings, Service Area Leadership Meetings, Town Halls, LA City Libraries, LAPD, LA City Attorneys and NAMI meetings.

Looking ahead to 2026, ACR is excited to expand our outreach and connect with even more community members. If you're interested in ACR providing a presentation for your organization/business, please reach out to Angela Guzman at: AGuzman@dmh.lacounty.gov or Kesha Bristow at: KBristow@dmh.lacounty.gov to schedule.

Marketing

In April 2025, ACR launched a countywide media and marketing campaign to spread awareness about our DMH Field Intervention Teams (FIT). We wanted to promote the availability of our FIT teams for in-person mental health crisis response, instead of 911. Our marketing reached all of LA County with transit, social media, and streaming video ads.

We are hiring!

We’re hiring skilled, caring professionals across various disciplines and diverse career paths. Click on the relevant job title to review the job requirements and submit an application.

"Who Do I Call for Help?" Campaign

An essential part of having a true alternative crisis response system in LA County is ensuring people know what resources are available when they need help. Los Angeles County Department of Mental Health (LACDMH) partnered with the County of Los Angeles Fire Department, Sheriff’s Department, City of Los Angeles Police Department, 211 LA, and Didi Hirsch Mental Health Services to launch the Who Do I Call for Help? awareness campaign. This resource helps residents know what options are available when they need help. The ACR Team has now distributed over 500,000 cards to the public and are now being distributed through all Los Angeles County and City public libraries!

Need “Who Do I Call for Help” campaign business cards, posters, bookmarks for outreach?

Email: AGuzman@dmh.lacounty.gov to place your order.

We have cards in English, Spanish, Armenian, Farsi, Korean, and Chinese.

The following languages can be downloaded, link below in the format of Posters, Bookmarks, Magnets, Socials and Business Cards.

Arabic

Japanese Hindi

Khmer

Russian

Tagalog

Thai

Vietnamese

https://dmh.lacounty.gov/mental-health-resources/who-to-call-for-help/

By the Numbers: December 2025

Los Angeles 988 Call Center

8,559 calls to Didi Hirsch 988 Crisis hotline within LA County

96% calls safely resolved over the phone

18 seconds to answer the call, on average

12 minutes of emotional support, risk assessment, and safety-planning on the phone, on average

DMH 24/7 Helpline/FIT

5,333 crisis calls to LACDMH ACCESS 24/7 Help Line 

1,972 resulted in FIT dispatch

33% of dispatched calls resulted in hospitalization

73 Field Intervention Teams (PMRT, MCOT, and TT) were regularly available

About Alternative Crisis Response (ACR)

LACDMH is committed to ensuring individuals experiencing a mental health crisis are treated quickly, effectively, and with empathy at the least restrictive level in the mental health system. To ensure a robust, reliable, and timely mental health alternative to law enforcement response, individuals experiencing a mental health crisis need the following:

How Did ACR Come About? Here’s a Timeline

June 2020: The Alternative Crisis Response (ACR) initiative was created by Board of Supervisors (BOS) as a partnership between LA County’s Department of Mental Health (LACDMH) and the Alternatives to Incarceration (ATI) Initiative of LA County's Chief Executive Office.

October 2020: On October 17, 2020, the National Suicide Hotline Designation Act of 2020 was signed into federal law which established 988 as the national number for behavioral health crisis calls.

June 2022: LACDMH established a new ACR Unit dedicated to ensuring crisis response services and systems are coordinated and comprehensive throughout Los Angeles County. Since June 2022, LACDMH has been working closely with Didi Hirsch Mental Health Services to rollout 988 services in LA County as well as expand FIT* (field intervention teams) availability across LA County.

July 2022: 988 officially launched nationwide on July 16, 2022, prompting key program expansions in LA County.

November 2022: LACDMH officially assumed responsibility for ACR implementation.

August 2023: LACDMH creates a dedicated ACR unit to oversee system policies, partnerships, and coordination

September 2023: LACDMH launches new ACR hiring campaign, doubling the number of FIT teams over nine months

December 2023: ACR’s 24/7 mobile crisis response expands countywide

April 2024: LACDMH increases available FIT for nights/weekends and effectively reduces wait times by 70%

Glossary: Terms to Know

ACR: Alternative Crisis Response (ACR) mission is to provide a robust, reliable, and timely 24/7 mental health alternative to law enforcement response for individuals experiencing a mental health crisis. The ACR Unit is responsible for overseeing the network of ACR services and providers in LA County, including the 988 crisis call center, Field Intervention Teams (FIT), and crisis receiving facilities. The ACR team are DMH employees who were recruited to join in addition to their existing roles.

988: Hotline that provides free, 24/7 call, text, and chat support and resources to people experiencing or affected by a suicidal, mental health, and/or substance use crisis. Also known as the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline.

Crisis Stabilization Unit: Also referred to as Urgent Care Center. 24/7 intensive, short-term stabilization in a warm and less sterile/clinical environment. Includes assessment, therapy, medication services and referrals. Services provided are less than 24-hours.

FIT: Field Intervention Teams, or FIT, are made up of a team of mental health professionals (typically a clinician and peer support staff) and provide crisis intervention services in the location where the individual is most comfortable (e.g., home or other field location). The goal of FIT is to stabilize the individual and allow them to remain in the community. DMH has both directly operated FIT known as PMRT and contracted FIT known as MCOT. FIT are typically initiated by contacting the DMH Help Line ACCESS Center.

PMRT: Psychiatric Mobile Response Teams are a type of FIT that are directly operated by DMH.

MCOT: Mobile Crisis Outreach Teams are a type of contracted FIT.

Didi Hirsch: Didi Hirsch Mental Health Services is the service provider that handles the 988 crisis hotline for LA County.

ATI: Alternatives to Incarceration (ATI), as part of the ATI Office (now part of the Justice Care and Opportunities Department, see below), is focused on addressing the impact of racial justice in the criminal justice system while keeping community partnership at the forefront of this work. It continues to expand the scope of its work to explicitly address current system gaps within Los Angeles County.

JCOD: The Justice Care and Opportunities Department (JCOD) is the County’s new central agency unifying LA County’s efforts to serve vulnerable justice-impacted people and communities and drive forward the Board of Supervisors’ vision of Care First, Jails Last.

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