North Carolina — A new pilot program aimed at improving mental health crisis response is now operating in parts of eastern North Carolina, including Duplin, Greene and Lenoir counties.
The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services (NCDHHS) announced a $1.5 million investment to Trillium Health Resources to launch Mobile Crisis Dispatch (MC Dispatch) — a real-time system designed to quickly connect people in crisis with trained mental health professionals.
The initiative supports Governor Josh Stein’s Executive Order 33, which calls for strengthening North Carolina’s mental health crisis system.
MC Dispatch works alongside the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline. When someone in Duplin, Greene or Lenoir counties calls 988 and needs in-person assistance, the system can immediately dispatch a Mobile Crisis Team to their location or connect them to appropriate local services.
“This initiative will connect people in crisis to the care they need by making sure they receive the appropriate level of response more quickly and efficiently,” said NC Health and Human Services Secretary Dev Sangvai.
Mobile Crisis Teams are made up of highly trained counselors who can respond wherever the individual is located — at home, work, or another safe place in the community. The goal is to provide immediate behavioral health support and reduce unnecessary law enforcement involvement.
“During a mental health crisis, seconds can make a difference,” said Kelly Crosbie, Director of the NCDHHS Division of Mental Health, Developmental Disabilities and Substance Use Disorders. “This new platform will help mobile crisis teams respond quicker.”
MC Dispatch is managed by REAL Crisis Intervention, Inc., North Carolina’s 988 service provider. In eastern North Carolina, the system partners with local mobile crisis providers, including Integrated Family Services and Easterseals PORT Health.
The platform also tracks key performance metrics such as response times, service outcomes, and follow-up care to ensure the program is effective and accessible.
The pilot program is part of the North Carolina General Assembly’s historic $835 million investment in mental health in 2023. State leaders say the long-term goal is to expand the dispatch system statewide, creating a more coordinated and responsive crisis care network.
Anyone experiencing a mental health crisis in Duplin, Greene or Lenoir counties — or anywhere in North Carolina — can call or text 988 to reach trained crisis counselors 24 hours a day.