🎓 Honoring CIT Champions: Training Milestones and Frontline Leadership

Today’s Brief:

• Crisis Intervention Briefs

• Mesa County Launches Behavioral Health Division to Strengthen Community Care

• California Leverages Prop 1 to Drive Behavioral Health Transformation Through Housing & Coordination

• Video Brief

  Total Read Time: 2 Minutes

👮 Crisis Intervention Team Briefs

Sheriff and Southern Highlands honored in West Virginia

Mercer County Sheriff Alan Christian was named CIT Leader of the Year and Southern Highlands Community Mental Health Center earned CIT Behavioral Health Partner of the Year at the 3rd annual WV 988 & Crisis Intervention Team Summit in Charleston. Under their leadership, the Southern WV CIT program has trained approximately 300 emergency personnel across several counties since launching in 2022.

Centre County celebrates 500+ CIT graduates in Pennsylvania

Centre County’s Crisis Intervention Team marked a milestone—surpassing 500 graduates—following the June 27, 2025, graduation of their 27th cohort at the Ferguson Township Municipal Building. The 40-hour training, running biannually since its 2011 inception, equips local police, EMS, corrections, and other first responders with de-escalation skills and mental health awareness to improve crisis responses and reduce reliance on the criminal justice system.

Mid‑Missouri law enforcement takes compassionate approach to homelessness

In Jefferson City and Columbia, Missouri, specialized crisis‑intervention and homeless‑outreach teams now engage unsheltered individuals through trust‑building conversations and connection to services rather than enforcement. Officers like Martika Hitt and Justin Goetz report progress—from introductions and ongoing rapport to court‑linked resource referrals and success stories of sobriety and ongoing contact—highlighting a shift toward supportive, relationship‑driven intervention.

Sponsored by: Julota

🧠 Mesa County Launches Behavioral Health Division to Strengthen Community Care

Mesa County Public Health (MCPH) has officially launched a new Behavioral Health Division, marking a significant step in better coordinating mental health and substance use programs across the county. This division aims to streamline services, enhance support for residents, and strengthen partnerships with local behavioral health providers. The initiative responds to the county’s identified shortage of mental health resources and aims to reduce reliance on emergency departments . As part of this effort, MCPH also introduced a public-facing dashboard for tracking progress on its Community Health Improvement Plan. Together, these efforts reinforce transparency, community engagement, and a data-driven approach to improving population health outcomes.

🧠 California Leverages Prop 1 to Drive Behavioral Health Transformation Through Housing & Coordination

With the passage of Proposition 1 in March 2024, California is channeling $6.4 billion into behavioral health infrastructure and supportive housing, targeting individuals with serious mental illness, substance use disorders, and those experiencing homelessness. The measure updates the Mental Health Services Act—now the Behavioral Health Services Act—and requires counties to shift more funding toward Full Service Partnerships and housing supports. Counties must also develop integrated three-year plans that coordinate behavioral health funding across systems like Medi-Cal, CalAIM, and CARE Courts. Implementation began in January 2025, with full compliance required by July 2026. While stakeholders see Prop 1 as a major opportunity to reduce homelessness and improve care, they emphasize that success will depend on cross-sector collaboration and accelerated planning.