It’s been about a year since a two-year pilot project aimed at de-escalating more mental crisis situations in Nevada County began. And it’s working so well that the Board of Supervisors have approved adding a second Mobile Crisis Team. The team consists of a sheriff’s deputy and clinical therapist from Behavioral Health. Sheriff Shannan Moon told the Board, at its meeting on Tuesday, that in the first year the team responded to 340 calls for service from the public, often friends and family members. There were only 54 holds from those encounters and 170 evaluations needed…

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Clinical therapist Ernesto Alvarado said it’s about a 50-50 split regarding whether a person in crisis will respond to someone like him or a law enforcement officer. So the unique collaboration is working…

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County Supervisors passed a resolution, accepting a 250-thousand dollar grant to fund the salary and benefits of the second team, which will be available Wednesday through Saturday. The first team is around Sunday through Wednesday, usually between 9am and 7pm. Moon also said she’d like to eventually see four teams in place.