PROPOSAL
Garden Grove Mobile Crisis Response Team
to Provide Mobile Mental Health and Crisis Stabilization Services
Prepared For:
The City of Garden Grove
11222 Acacia Parkway,
Garden Grove, CA 92840
Submission Date:
July 21, 2026
Version 2.0
Prepared By:
Healthcare in Action (HIA)
3800 Kilroy Airport Way, STE100
Long Beach, CA 90806
Benjamin Kaska, MPAP, PA-C
Chief of Integrated Care Delivery, HIA
Christopher Lee, MBA
Chief Financial Officer, HIA; VP of Financial
Planning & Analysis of SCAN Health Plan
Michael Wu, MD
General Manager & Medical Director for San
Diego & Orange Counties, HIA
Robert Horner, PA-C
Manager of Clinical Operations for Orange
County, HIA
Purpose of Document:
This proposal is submitted by Healthcare in Action (HIA) to the City of Garden Grove and is intended for attachment to the City Council Staff Report for August 25, 2026. Upon approval, this document may serve as the Scope of Work incorporated into the agreement between the City of Garden Grove and Healthcare in Action.
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Proposal for Garden Grove Mobile Crisis Response Team
Executive Summary
Healthcare in Action (HIA) is a non-profit organization exclusively dedicated to providing medical care and social services for patients experiencing homelessness through mobile outreach. Below is a proposal to serve individuals experiencing a crisis in partnership with the City of Garden Grove to establish a Mobile Crisis Response Team (MCRT) to provide continuity of mobile crisis services in Garden Grove. HIA is a mission-aligned local partner that already operates a street medicine program in Garden Grove and can connect individuals to follow-up services. Under this model, the HIA team responds in tandem with the Garden Grove Police Department (GGPD) to eligible situations. When appropriate, and once GGPD determines that their continued presence is not required, the HIA team can assume care of the individual, freeing officers to return to and respond to other emergency calls. The primary value of this partnership is reducing the reliance on police and other high-cost public safety resources for typical mental health and crisis situations while ensuring individuals continue to receive appropriate care.
Overview of Healthcare in Action
General Service Offerings: Healthcare in Action is a nonprofit organization dedicated to providing general medical services, addiction treatment, behavioral health care, and case management for
individuals living with homelessness. The Healthcare in Action street teams bring these services to unhoused
patients through mobile outreach at street encampments, homeless shelters, and interim housing facilities. The dual goal of Healthcare in Action’s services is to help stabilize the health of unhoused populations and to facilitate their transition to stable housing situations.
Specific Services:
• General medical services;
• Addiction counseling and medication assisted
treatment;
• Behavioral health care, including medication
management;
• Laboratory testing;
• Point-of-care ultrasonography;
• Medication dispensary/delivery of medications
from pharmacies;
• Referrals and transportation to medical specialist
appointments;
• Enrollment in the Coordinated Entry System;
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• Other social services, including support with
food stamps, disability and other social service
program applications.
Target Population: HIA provides services to unhoused residents in its target communities in Southern California. For this proposal,
Healthcare in Action offers its services directly to the City of Garden Grove.
Mobile Crisis Response Team (MCRT) Model Overview
Program Overview The HIA Mobile Crisis Response Team, consisting of one Associate Clinical Social Worker (ACSW) and one
Emergency Medical Technician (EMT), responds in tandem
with GGPD to eligible non-emergent crisis situations. The program co-responds to calls involving individuals
experiencing mental health crises, both housed and
unhoused.
Upon arrival, the team awaits direction from GGPD before approaching the individual, ensuring the safety of HIA
personnel under a co-response model with law enforcement present. Once cleared to approach, the team assists in
triaging and assessing the individual, de-escalating the situation, and connecting the person to appropriate services, including the HIA Garden Grove street medicine team when appropriate. When GGPD determines that their continued
presence is not needed, the HIA team can assume care so that officers are free to respond to other emergency calls. If an individual is transported to a hospital by GGPD, the HIA team can assume care and remain with the individual while awaiting hospital staff, again freeing GGPD to respond to other emergencies. At any point, whether in the field or at a receiving facility, if the situation escalates or a safety concern arises, the team will contact GGPD, and officers will respond to assist.
Service Boundaries
• The team escalates to the CAT team or the
Department of Mental Health (DMH) when
needed.
• The team does not provide acute medical care
during calls.
• The team does not perform involuntary holds.
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• The team does not provide direct transport in
program vehicles; transportation is arranged as
needed through GGPD, EMS, or a contracted
non-emergency medical rideshare service (e.g.,
medical Uber).
Care Pathways and Disposition
Depending on the situation, individuals may be connected to a range of next steps. These include referral to HIA's CalOptima street medicine program when appropriate and
when the person meets eligibility and capacity
requirements, referral to an FQHC or other community
provider, or connection to the CAT team or DMH. In some cases, individuals may agree to a voluntary hold and be transported to a hospital by GGPD.
MCRT Staffing Plan: The program operates two field-based response teams supported by dedicated clinical supervision, operational management, physician oversight, and data analytics
resources, as summarized below. One supervising Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) supports both teams. Each field team consists of one EMT (Basic) and one ACSW. The LCSW Supervisor provides clinical supervision and
management for both teams and covers field shifts during staff absences (PTO, sick leave, or leave of absence) to maintain operational continuity. Teams are strategically staged to maximize responsiveness and provide operational redundancy. Staff are supported by shared HIA clinical and administrative infrastructure, reflected below and in the budget. The team receives training through the Garden
Grove Police Department in partnership with HIA.
Staffing Plan Roles & Responsibilities
Role FTE Responsibilities
Crisis Response Social Worker
(ACSW)
2.0 One per field team. Crisis assessment, de-escalation, suicide risk assessment, crisis counseling, and triage to appropriate services.
Practices under the clinical supervision of the LCSW Supervisor.
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Staffing Plan Roles & Responsibilities
Role FTE Responsibilities
EMT / Clinical Support Partner
(CSP)
2.0 One per field team. Operates the response vehicle, maintains real-time communication with GGPD, and supports scene logistics and other appropriate tasks.
LCSW Supervisor / Program
Manager
1.0 Provides clinical supervision for the ACSWs and day-to-day program management for both teams; serves as primary liaison to GGPD; provides field coverage during staff PTO, sick leave, and leaves of absence to maintain operational continuity.
Medical Director (Physician) 0.17 Physician oversight of clinical protocols, EMT scope of practice, and quality assurance.
Manager, Clinical Operations 0.33 Operational oversight, GGPD/City coordination, policies and procedures, and program performance.
Manager, Decision Support &
Data Analytics
0.12 Data collection, reporting, and dashboard development in collaboration with the City and GGPD.
Total 5.62 5.0 dedicated program FTE plus 0.62 FTE shared administrative and clinical support.
Schedule and Coverage
Model:
The program provides eight hours of field coverage per day, seven days per week. Consistent with GGPD's preference, the daily shift will begin at 9:00 AM or later, with the final shift window set jointly with the City and GGPD based on call-volume data (e.g., 9:00 AM – 5:00 PM or 10:00 AM – 6:00 PM).
Coverage is provided by two teams on staggered five-day schedules, so exactly one team is on duty each day of the week, with a midweek overlap period (Wednesday–Friday)
that provides dual-team capacity for peak demand, joint training, case conferencing, and supervision. The LCSW
Supervisor provides field coverage during planned and
unplanned staff absences, so daily coverage is maintained without gaps.
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Schedule Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat Sun
Team A ● ● ● ● ● — —
Team B — — ● ● ● ● ●
Implementation Overview
and Timeline:
Following anticipated City Council approval on August 25, 2026, HIA will begin a ramp-up period during which the
team will complete training through the Garden Grove
Police Department in partnership with HIA and be
onboarded into the relevant response workflows. Specific implementation details will be finalized collaboratively with the City and GGPD.
Milestone Timeline
City Council approval and contract execution August 2026 Recruitment and hiring; EHR build; joint policies and protocols developed with GGPD
Month 1
GGPD-led MCRT training; vehicle and equipment readiness; dispatch and documentation system integration; ride-alongs with GGPD Month 2
Supervised field operations (soft launch); protocol refinement with GGPD and City
Month 3
Full 7-day/week service launch Approximately 90 days after contract execution
Data, Reporting, and
Performance Measures:
HIA will document each response and report program
performance to the City and GGPD on a regular cadence as determined by the City and will collaborate with the City on reporting analytics and dashboard development to ensure transparency and continuous quality improvement.
Additional measures and reporting formats will be finalized collaboratively with the City and GGPD during
implementation.
Assumptions and City-
Provided Resources:
• GGPD provides MCRT training in partnership
with HIA, co-responds to calls, and integrates
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the MCRT into GGPD dispatch and
documentation systems as deemed necessary.
• The MCRT maintains continuous
communication with GGPD through GGPD
systems, keeping the department updated on the
team's location, status, and plan so that officers
can provide support or guidance at any time.
• The City provides workspace and overnight
vehicle parking.
• Transport of individuals is provided by GGPD,
EMS, or a contracted non-emergency medical
rideshare service (e.g., UberHealth); MCRT does
not transport individuals in program vehicles.
• This program is operated separately from HIA's
CalOptima street medicine contract.
• The daily shift window (beginning at 9:00 AM
or later) will be finalized with GGPD based on
call-volume data.
Contract Period Healthcare in Action proposes a services-based contract totaling $992,132 that would support the above-described services. The below proposal budget timeline assumes
contract execution in August 2026 for an anticipated project start-up of September to November 2026 and a pilot
operating term from December 2026 to June 2027. The
exact dates and payment terms are to be finalized with the City. Detailed budget is below.
Budget Summary
The budget below reflects HIA's financial model for an 8-hour-per-day, 7-day-per-week service with two field teams and an LCSW supervisor per the above assumed contract period.
Workspace and overnight vehicle parking are assumed to be provided by the City of Garden Grove.
Budget Component Amount
FY 26-27 Prorated Operating Budget $700,864
Startup Costs (one-time) $291,268
Total Year 1 $992,132