I support AB 1331 to establish a new position at the Department of Health Care Services (DHCS) to improve our crisis care system. People in a behavioral health crisis too often face arrest, involuntary detention, multiple hospitalizations, homelessness, and even early death. In many communities, behavioral health crisis services are delivered too late — either by law enforcement or in hospital emergency departments. Too few people get the intensive follow-up care needed to prevent a crisis from recurring. AB 1331 would establish a new position at the Department of Health Care Services (DHCS) to focus on establishing and monitoring a comprehensive crisis care system and ensure that individuals experiencing a behavioral health crisis get the right care, in the right place, at the right time. California has never had a comprehensive, integrated network of services on which people in a mental health or substance use disorder crisis can rely and this position. It’s time for California to ensure that people experiencing a behavioral health crisis receive the care they deserve in the most expedient way possible.