State recognition for Contra Costa’s behavioral health program
CONTRA COSTA COUNTY, CA (Sept. 20, 2022) — The county’s behavioral health crisis response initiative received the Award for Intergovernmental Collaboration from the League of California Cities.
Anyone, Anywhere, Anytime (A3) is a partnership between all 19 cities and Contra Costa Health that seeks to transform the region’s behavioral health care and emergency response system.
The League of California Cities is a nonprofit statewide association that advocates for cities with the state and federal governments and provides education and training services to elected and appointed city officials. The group awards the prestigious Helen Putnam Award for Excellence annually in 12 categories.
The local A3 team worked with mental health providers, community advocates and people with lived experiences or their family members to develop the A3 system for delivering safe, appropriate care to county residents who are experiencing behavioral health emergencies.
The A3 Community Crisis Response is a new model in which a person in crisis has someone to talk to, someone to respond and a place to go to receive behavioral health services. Anyone can get professional help at anytime, anywhere in the county.
“Effectively responding to mental health emergencies by establishing A3 as the fourth arm of emergency response in Contra Costa County is transformational and will have a lasting impact on public health,” said Valerie Barone, Concord’s city manager.
Learn more about A3 at https://cchealth.org/a3.