Jefferson and Lewis counties select Children's Home to provide bi‑county mobile crisis services; partial rollout planned by July 1

Jefferson and Lewis counties announced the selection of the Children's Home of Jefferson County to provide a jointly operated mobile crisis service covering both counties, with an initial service roll‑out scheduled for July 1.

County officials described a multi‑year, data‑driven planning process led by Fort Drum Regional Health Planning Organization (FDRHPO) and county staff that examined 911 and 988 call patterns, travel times and service gaps. Anna Platts, Lewis County Director of Community Services, told the Human Services committee the bi‑county model was necessary because Lewis County alone lacked the call volume to make a standalone mobile crisis operation financially sustainable.

“We now have our mobile crisis provider identified in the Children's Home,” Platts said, noting that each county received $600,000 in startup funding from state sources targeted at jurisdictions that lacked mobile crisis services. Jefferson County Community Services will contribute ongoing funds to support the service; officials said Medicaid billing alone would not be sufficient to guarantee sustainability.

Tim Renton, Jefferson County Director of Community Services, described the assessment that informed the RFP. The analysis showed nearly half of crisis calls were concentrated in the Watertown ZIP code and that 75% of calls were limited to ten communities, with typical one‑way travel times inside a roughly 30‑minute radius of Watertown. The counties used that data when designing telephonic triage, mobile response and follow‑up service requirements in the RFP.

Michelle Monnit, president and CEO of the Children's Home of Jefferson County, outlined the provider's local footprint and capacity. She said the Children's Home already operates crisis, outpatient and children's crisis‑respite services and has staff living in Lewis County. “We have two clinicians that live here,” Monnit said, and the agency will use telehealth, local peer supports through Northern Regional Center for Independent Living and partnerships with local providers such as Thrive to cover adult services.

Officials said the contract was approved by the Jefferson County Board of Legislators earlier in the month and the mobile crisis plan has been submitted to the New York State Office of Mental Health for approval. Initial components of the service—phone triage and some mobile responses—are slated to begin July 1, with continued community education and stakeholder outreach to follow. Dispatch will have a direct line into the crisis system, allowing 911 dispatchers to contact the mobile crisis team directly for mental health‑related calls.

County staff asked committee members to help publicize the new crisis phone number that will replace the current widely distributed local crisis line. Platts said the counties are working with the Children's Home on a community education plan and requested assistance distributing a one‑page informational sheet to towns and villages.

The selection and implementation plans were described as collaborative and intended to reduce unnecessary hospitalizations, improve law enforcement response to behavioral health incidents and provide follow‑up services to link people to ongoing care.