The Need for A3
Behavioral health issues are widespread and increasingly recognized as a major area of need.
About 1 in 5 adults in Contra Costa County experience behavioral health issues.
Behavioral health issues are the third most common call ambulances respond to in the county.
Every year, there are more than 8,000 visits to psychiatric emergency services in the county.
When someone experiences a crisis – a fire, crime, or medical emergency – they call 911 with the expectation of getting immediate emergency services. However, when that emergency is a behavioral health crisis, there is currently no timely, culturally and clinically appropriate response.
A3 addresses this enormous need by making behavioral health part of the emergency response system.