by Andrew Alonzo | aalonzo@claremont-courier.com

Tri-City Mental Health Authority unveiled its new mobile crisis care team, a dedicated staff meant to respond to crisis calls, at a June 26 ceremony at The Cathedral in Pomona.

“It’s a service that we consider to be very important to the community, all the communities we serve: Pomona, Claremont and La Verne,” said Tri-City Executive Director Ontson Placide. He added the new service was about providing people with emergency service response in real time, and connecting callers with appropriate resources around the clock.

The new mobile crisis care team can be reached 24 hours a day at (866) 623-9500.

The project has been in the making since Tri-City received an implementation grant from the California Department of Health Care Services in 2022.

“We’ve always had some iteration or some form of mobile crisis response,” said Tri-City Chief Clinical Officer Elizabeth Renteria. “A lot of good work happened long before this mobile crisis care team. But what was happening was those folks were doing it in addition to other responsibilities. We said we need to do it because we know how important the work is … We had to figure out a way and the time and space and the resources to really plan, to really have a team dedicated that that their only responsibility is to be responding to crises.”

Tri-City Mental Health Authority’s new mobile crisis care team (L-R) Nelson Algarin, Markie Sterner, Ian Henny, Maria Camarena, Stephanie Garcia, Corey Hall, and Jesus Rios. Missing is Aaron Eaton. Courier photo/Andrew Alonzo

Tri-City’s Intensive Outreach and Engagement Team was disbanded in June 2024. It connected 488 people with services in 2023-2024, according to Tri-City’s Mental Health Services Act 2025-2026 fiscal year update. “The … team provided community outreach which included linkage to formal services, medical services and other resources that those in need were struggling to obtain independently,” read the report.

The new mobile crisis care program will have a designated staff to respond to crises with allocated vehicles fully equipped for an array of crisis situations.

“I am proud of Tricity’s [sic] clinical team developing and implementing what will be a highly effective service to our three cities. Crisis happens 24 hours a day, and our new and improved crisis team system will be prepared to face those challenges head on with expertise, professionalism, and empathy,” wrote Claremont City Council member Jed Leano, who chairs Tri-City’s Governing Board, in a statement. “I want to thank LA County Department of Mental Health for their collaboration, and I look forward to weaving the crisis team into our core services offered by the City of Claremont.”

Major funding arrived earlier this year in the form of $1,760,000 from Mental Health Services Act funds and Medi-Cal billing. This money will primarily cover staff salaries and other program costs, Renteria said.

The team consists of three clinicians, two peer support specialists, one behavior health specialist, one licensed psychiatric technician, and program manager Markie Sterner.

The process will work much like other Tri-City programs, Sterner said.

“Sometimes it ends up being, ‘Let’s help you with linkage. Where do you need to go?’ De-escalation over the phone, or maybe they are already kind of in that crisis peak where we need to respond in person,” Sterner said, adding response teams may sometimes include members of Los Angeles County Department of Mental Health.

Team members received training in triage, assessment, safety planning, counseling on restricting access to lethal means, and crisis prevention, said Deborah Johnson, deputy chief clinical officer at Tri-City. Additional training is provided by the Mobile Crisis Training and Technical Assistance Center, developed by the California Department of Health Care Services.

Team member Maria Camarena said she and her colleagues are up to the task.

“We’re completely ready to be able to offer peer support services as well as psychiatric holds, as well as being able to just help with additional education and be able to decrease any type of crisis that they’re having,” she said. “We’re fully ready.”

Representatives from Claremont Police Department and Pomona Police Department’s Mental Health Evaluation Unitwere on hand at the event.

“Now with a team that’s more on the 24 hours a day thing, it’s supposed to be more helpful,” said CPD Sergeant Eric Orozco. “We haven’t obviously rolled it out yet. It hasn’t impacted us yet, but I know the meetings that I’ve been to, it’s supposed to be more available now than it has been in the past.”

“It’s great to have extra resources,” said PPD officer Gerardo Cervantes.

Tri-City Mental Health Authority’s new mobile crisis care team can be reached 24 hours a day at (866) 623-9500.