Lane County to end Riverview youth crisis calls, take over response

Lane County will take over youth mobile crisis calls from Riverview Center for Growth after April 30, putting county staff on the front line for families in a behavioral-health emergency. The county says people should still call 988 or the county crisis line, but the first hour of response may look different as Mobile Crisis Services of Lane County absorbs the work on May 1.

County officials said the new setup will run seven days a week from 6 a.m. to 11 p.m. at first, with a goal of 24-hour coverage once additional positions are filled. Jason Davis, the county public information officer, said response times should remain comparable even as the county takes over the dispatch role. That matters for parents, schools, and providers who need to know whether a youth crisis will bring a same-day in-person visit, a phone screen, or no mobile response at all.

Riverview staff have warned that the switch could change who gets seen. The nonprofit’s youth mobile crisis team has served Lane County children and families since the early 2000s, and public reporting said it has been handling about 6 to 10 youth crisis calls a day. Riverview’s concern is that the county and provider use different thresholds for deciding when to send help, which could mean fewer calls receiving a response under the new model.

Lane County Health & Human Services Director Eve Gray said the county moved forward because of dwindling available funding. County officials have also tied the decision to broader budget pressure, including cuts tied to Medicaid funding and a need to consolidate services. The county said it has been working with Riverview on a transition plan to preserve continuity of care.

Riverview Executive Director Meghan Melton said the organization will remain open and continue other mental health services after the mobile crisis contract ends, including outpatient and day-treatment programs and support for active clients. But the youth crisis function is shifting to Lane County Behavioral Health, which says its child and adolescent behavioral-health staff have about 50 years of experience serving young people.

For Lane County households, the immediate change is practical: the county will be the new front door for youth crisis response, with new staffing, a defined daily coverage window, and an uncertain adjustment period as families learn how the handoff works in real time.