Emergency Services

The Emergency Services team consists of three core groups: Mobile Crisis Response Team, Mental Health Co-Responder Team, Open Access (Olathe and Shawnee), and the 988 Crisis Team.

Mobile Crisis Response Team

The Mobile Crisis Response Team provides community-based mental health crisis services Monday through Friday during business hours. MCRT serves adults, adolescents, and children experiencing behavioral health emergencies. The team includes licensed clinicians, crisis case managers, and a staff liaison for the state psychiatric hospital. Crisis case managers are dedicated to providing brief and intensive services with the goal of reducing the need for hospitalization, facilitating connection to mental health treatment and connecting clients to other needed services. MCRT clinicians facilitate crisis intervention assessments, mobile intake assessments, and mental health state screens. MCRT provides its services at no charge, works with Johnson County residents not already open to Johnson County Mental Health Center, and guides connection to appropriate longer-term supports.

Mental Health Co-Responders

The Mental Health Co-Responder Program embeds a mental health clinician from Johnson County Mental Health Center (JCMHC) within most of the police departments within Johnson County. The goal of the program is to provide the right intervention at the right time in an effort to prevent unnecessary arrests, decrease trips to the emergency rooms and reduce repeat calls for service for our law enforcement partners. 

The Co-Responder’s primary responsibility is to respond on scene with a law enforcement officer on calls when behavioral health is identified as a possible contributing factor. Additionally, Co-Responders conduct outreach and follow-up calls to individuals who had police contact as a result of a behavioral health crisis, with the intention of getting the individual the help they need to avoid future police contact. 

The Co-Responder often works with the Crisis Intervention Team (CIT)  trained officers in providing community based interventions as well as follow up and referrals. To learn more about JCMHC’s Co-Responder program, please see Johnson County's Co-Responder program: new solutions for law enforcement's interactions with mental health or see our Johnson County Co-Responder Coverage Map to see the county’s Co-Responder coverage and contact information. 

Open Access

The Access Team operates Open Access and Crisis clinic. Open Access is a same-day walk-in service provided at JCMHC’s Olathe and Shawnee locations to provide mental health assessments to individuals seeking treatment and care. A mental health professional will assess a person’s individual needs and match those needs with appropriate mental health and/or substance abuse disorder services. If we are not the appropriate provider for the person, we will assist you in finding a provider in the community that can better meet your needs

Crisis Assessment Team (CAT)

The Crisis Assessment Team (CAT) is the primary point of contact for all mental health emergencies occurring during evening, nighttime, weekend and holiday hours. CAT is comprised of licensed clinicians and crisis case managers who are dedicated to resolving emergency situations by providing brief and intensive services with the goal of reducing the need for hospitalization. The CAT team provides telephone and limited on-site response to emergencies, as well as, provide consultation and guidance to hospital emergency departments, law enforcement officers and various other community agencies in addressing mental health emergencies. CAT answers the 24-hour crisis line during non-business hours. CAT clinicians also facilitate mental health reform screens, crisis intervention assessments, Juvenile Detention Center and Corrections Intake (JIAC) assessments and juvenile detention suicide watch assessments.

The CAT team provides:

  • Mobile mental health crisis services during business hours Monday through Friday. 
  • Community-based interventions as well as answers the 24-hour crisis line during business hours.
  • Consultation and guidance to law enforcement personnel, hospital staff, court personnel, as well as various community agencies in an effort to ensure the emergent mental health needs of Johnson County residents are met.
  • Mental health reform screens:
    • Preadmission Screening Resident Review (PASRR)
    • Crisis Intervention Assessments
  • Serves as a liaison for services to the state hospital, RSI and the Adult Detention Center. 

988 Crisis Team

At any time (24 hours a day, seven days a week), individuals can call JCMHC’s Crisis Line at 913-268-0156. Staff located in Johnson County provide over-the-phone support for mental health emergencies. Crisis line staff routinely provides consultation and guidance to law enforcement personnel, hospital staff, court personnel, as well as, various community agencies in an effort to ensure appropriate delivery of emergency mental health services.

JCMHC has a dedicated 988 Crisis Team that answers local calls to the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline (1-800-273-TALK or 988)