Mobile Crisis Response sends a trained mental health team to wherever the crisis is — your home, a friend's living room, a parking lot, a school. No hospital trip required. No convincing anyone to get in a car. Confidential, and answering right now.
Mobile Crisis Response is exactly what it sounds like: when someone is in a mental health crisis and getting them to a hospital, clinic, or office isn't possible — or isn't the right move — we send a small team of trained mental health professionals to meet them where they are. It might be your living room. It might be a relative's house. It might be a school office or the side of a road. Wherever the crisis is, that's where we go.
The team that arrives is made up of mental health workers — counselors, social workers, and peer specialists who have been through their own hard things and come out the other side. They arrive quietly, and their job is to listen, help everyone breathe, and figure out the next right step together with you.
There is nothing you have to prove to qualify. If someone needs help, the line is open at 844-428-3878 — 24 hours a day, every day of the year.
Calling for help is hard. Here is exactly what happens after you do.
Two team members, plain clothes, an unmarked vehicle. No lights. No uniforms. No one driving by will know we are there.
We sit down. We listen — to the person in crisis, to whoever called us, to whoever else is in the room. No rush, no script. The goal is to lower the temperature.
Together we look at what's actually happening and what could help next. That might be a safety plan for the night, a referral to ongoing care, or a stay in our crisis stabilization program.
Within 24 hours of our visit, someone from our team checks in by phone — to see how the night went, answer questions, and connect you to anything you still need.
Almost nothing. But these three things help us help you.
You do not have to know what kind of crisis it is. You do not have to convince the person in crisis to agree first. If you are worried, that is reason enough to dial.
Before sending a responder, we gather a few key details to understand the situation and what kind of support may be needed. We'll ask about what's happening, who is on scene, and any safety considerations so we can plan an appropriate and effective response.
A driveway, a gate code, a back entrance, a dog — anything you can tell us upfront gets us to you faster. In central Iowa, the address alone is sometimes not enough.
Three steps from dialing to a team at your door.
Dial 844-428-3878. Answered 24 hours a day by a trained crisis counselor — not a voicemail, not an automated tree. Take your time. They have time.
For some calls, talking on the phone is enough. For others, sending the team is the right move. You can ask for the team directly; you don't have to wait for us to offer.
Once the team is on the way, the counselor on the phone stays with you until they arrive — or until you tell them you're okay. The work continues with the team, in person, at whatever pace the moment allows.
Anyone of any age in any kind of mental or emotional crisis. You can call for yourself, for someone you love, for a student, for a patient, for a neighbor. You do not need a diagnosis, and you do not need to have tried anything else first. If you are not sure whether this is "really" a crisis, that uncertainty is reason enough to call — we will help you figure it out together.
Where our team responds:
Mobile Crisis Response serves 11 south-central Iowa counties — Adair, Audubon, Clarke, Dallas, Decatur, Guthrie, Lucas, Marion, Ringgold, Taylor, and Wayne. If you're calling from outside this area, dial 844-428-3878 anyway — we will help you find the right team near you.
If someone is in crisis and getting them to a hospital isn't going to happen, call us. We come to you.
Call 844-428-3878