In 2015, the Department of Behavioral Health (DBH) partnered with various key agencies to place DBH crisis triage staff in underserved areas throughout San Bernardino County. DBH selected agencies, known as ‘points of access’ such as law enforcement, hospital emergency departments, and college campus police, to assist consumers experiencing a mental health crisis by providing support that links them to services in lieu of accessing unnecessary emergency services whenever appropriate. From this partnership, DBH identified the need to further these services and city integration when responding to crises.
