The Clark County Fire Department classifies those incidents as Card 25 calls, which in 2024 had a hospitalization rate of 82 percent in its 9,995 responses.
In comparison, The Crisis Response Team 18 Pilot Program, which staffed one licensed clinical social service worker, a paramedic and an emergency medical technician, responded to 758 Card 25 calls in 2025, encountering 673 people, with a hospitalization rate of only 30 percent.
Commissioner Justin Jones requested a Jan. 6 presentation that underscored the pilot’s outcomes.
The findings were promising enough that permanent funding to the tune of $1.5 million a year might be on the way.
“I think this program is vital. I think it’s fantastic; I think my district is probably the epicenter of what we need,” Commissioner Tick Segerblom said. “And, so, whatever it takes, Commissioner Jones: I would support you 1,000 percent as far as moving forward.”
Commissioners directed county staff to explore whether the county could prop up the existing initiative or if a competitive contract bidding process is required.
They were given 30 days to present options.
Proven model
“I think it’s proven to be a successful model for getting people facing difficult situations with mental health crisis or substance use disorder to get access to the care they really need,” Jones told the Las Vegas Review-Journal Wednesday.
At the same time, he said, it would help speed up services for people afflicted by other emergencies.
During the commission meeting last week, Jones noted that the regional municipalities of Las Vegas , North Las Vegas and Henderson already have fixed crisis response teams.
In 2023, the Clark County Commission directed the Fire Department to seek alternative 911 response models for calls related to people experiencing mental health distress and/or substance use disorders.
Fire officials subsequently secured a $535,000 federal grant from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration .
That led to the creation of a three-person team that mirrors Las Vegas’ model, the county said. Data out of the city shows the effort has been highly successful, Jones added.
Clark County partnered with Community Ambulance and Reliable Health Care Services to staff the team. Federal funding allowed for one team staffed for 12 hours daily from April 13 through September, according to the county.
Future budget discussions could lead the county to duplicate the team.
Jones said the initiative works well with the county’s Crisis Stabilization Center, which opened last summer at 5409 E. Lake Mead Blvd.
The 17,000-square foot facility, a partnership with University Medical Center , hosts 35 outpatient chairs for people going through mental health or substance abuse crises, the county said.
The center, according to the county, serves as an alternative to emergency rooms and jails, helping to address critical gaps in the region’s behavioral health infrastructure.
Jones also directed county staff to come up with a way to track successes of other county pilot programs.
“If we know that a pilot project is good, we don’t need to wait around until many months after the pilot project to decide where to go from there,” he said.
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