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Budget Year / Version:
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Program Description

  24-Hours Crisis Center

The Crisis Center serves all Montgomery County residents who present for service 24 hours a day, 365 days per year (including holidays). Telephone and walk-in crisis intervention services are provided on-site at 1301 Piccard Drive in Rockville and Mobile Crisis and Outreach Response services are provided in any non-institutional setting in Montgomery County, including homes, shelters, street locations, businesses, libraries etc. Mobile Crisis and Outreach Teams (MCOTs) also provide Critical Incident Stress Management and on-scene support to assist with disaster management, sudden deaths, and other community crises. The Crisis Center offers short-term Residential Crisis Services beds for eligible clients at risk of hospitalization or as an alternative to hospitalization. The on-site Behavioral Health Crisis Stabilization Center (BHCSC) provides 24/7 short-term support for residents experiencing mental health or substance use crises. The center offers a comfort-focused, non-hospital setting with up to 23-hour stays and quiet rooms for de-escalation. During their stay, individuals receive rapid assessment, psychiatric evaluation, medication management, crisis counseling, peer support, and care coordination, with the goal of stabilizing clients, reducing immediate distress, and connecting them to ongoing care and community resources. Referrals are accepted from individuals, families, community providers, and partner agencies, and walk-ins are welcome. No insurance is required, and no one is denied services due to inability to pay. The Crisis Center also screens and refers eligible clients to domestic violence shelter and trauma services. In addition, the Crisis Center refers homeless individuals to shelter services after hours and operates as the after-hours contact for Public Health, Emergency Services, Adult Protective Services, and Child Welfare Services.

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Program Contacts

Contact Monica Martin of the HHS - Behavioral Health and Crisis Services at 240-777-1488 or Grace Pedersen of the Office of Management and Budget at 240-773-1088 for more information regarding this department's operating budget.

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Program Performance Measures

Program Performance MeasuresActual FY24Actual FY25Estimated FY26Target FY27Target FY28
Number of walk-in contacts 14,6024,0264,5004,7505,000
Number of students identified by schools to be at risk who were referred to the Crisis Center 21,2061,0281,1001,2001,300
Percent of students identified by schools to be at risk that are stabilized utilizing community resources without hospital intervention 388%97%90%95%95%
1  The Crisis Center has steadily expanded mobile crisis outreach services which may have contributed to the decrease in walk-in contacts.
2  Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS) has steadily increased the number of licensed mental health professionals within the school system and has provided additional trainings on risk assessment screenings for in-school staff. This appears to have resulted in fewer external referrals to the Crisis Center, with the referrals generally reflecting higher acuity.
3  Despite having overall fewer school referrals from Montgomery County Public Schools in FY24, the percentage of students diverted into a community resource has continued to remain high, which reflects the Crisis Center staff's skilled use of community alternatives.
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Program Budget Changes

FY27 Recommended ChangesExpendituresFTEs
FY26 Approved1372045678.40
Replace: Operating Budget Impact Associated with the Diversion Center Behavioral Health Crisis Stabilization Center (BHCSC)310490318.00
Enhance: Crisis Center Contractual Conversion01.00
Multi-program adjustments, including negotiated compensation changes, employee benefit changes, changes due to staff turnover, reorganizations, and other budget changes affecting multiple programs.9788140.00
FY27 Recommended1780417397.40