Grant allows Transitions to provide mobile crisis response service to three-county area

QUINCY — Transitions of Western Illinois recently received a three-year grant of approximately $573,287 from the Illinois Department of Human Services to provide mobile crisis response services to the counties of Adams, Hancock and Pike. 

“The mental health agencies in the counties of Adams, Hancock and Pike currently offer telephone crisis services and walk-in crisis services during business hours,” Jessica Peters, director of mental health and children’s services at Transitions, said in a press release. “Transitions also provides mobile crisis services to youths in these three counties. The area is in need of more robust mobile crisis services. This grant funding will make possible mobile crisis response services to all residents in these counties all day every day.” 

Peters says much work must be done to prepare for the July 2022 start date of the 988 system.

“Of course, we have many staff to hire,” she said. “We will need crisis specialists, staff persons who have a bachelor’s degree in human services, and recovery specialists who have lived experience with a mental health concern and has received treatment during their recovery journey.  The grant will require that a crisis specialist and a recovery specialist participate in mobile crisis response calls.

“We encourage people who have a degree in human services and/or lived experience with a mental health problem to apply for positions on our mobile crisis response team.”  

Transitions will be spending several months developing crisis response procedures, working with other emergency response providers in the three-county area and training the staff members who are hired.  Once procedures are developed, other providers of human services and the public will be provided information about how crisis response services can be accessed via 988.  

People needing more information about available positions can reach Peters or Transitions’ human resources staff at (217) 223-0413.

Transitions of Western Illinois is a not-for-profit provider of mental health and rehabilitation services,  The agency delivers services in 11 locations in Adams County and has provided mental health services since 1955.