Health Insurance & Medical Costs · Surprise rank #121
Mental-Health or Substance-Use Crisis? NY Can Send a Mobile Crisis Team or Use a 24/7 Crisis Stabilization Center
New York's crisis-response system includes mobile crisis teams and Crisis Stabilization Centers designed to provide urgent voluntary help outside a traditional emergency-room path.
Who
People experiencing or at risk of a mental-health and/or substance-use crisis; specific local service availability varies.
What to do
Start here: Call, text or chat 988 for crisis support and connection to local services, or use OMH's program directory to find crisis programs.
Eligibility: Mobile Crisis is designed for anyone experiencing or at risk of crisis; local dispatch, safety and clinical criteria can affect the response. Crisis Stabilization Centers serve children, adolescents, adults and families 24/7/365 where centers operate.
What you get
Mobile Crisis provides urgent short-term triage, in-person response and follow-up; Crisis Stabilization Centers provide voluntary urgent mental-health/substance-use support and treatment.
Benefit: Urgent crisis assessment, de-escalation, support and linkage to care without necessarily beginning in a hospital ER.
Possible value: No fixed cash benefit; the value is rapid community-based crisis care and potential diversion from higher levels of care.
Good to know
Important: Mobile teams and Crisis Stabilization Centers are not equally available in every county. A life-threatening emergency may still require 911 or emergency medical care.
Availability: Active; local program availability varies
Why people miss it: Many people think the only crisis choices are police or an emergency department and do not know New York funds community-based alternatives.
Sources reviewed: Aug 10, 2026