Mental Health Emergency
Call or Text 911 (ask for a CIT officer) or go to your nearest hospital emergency room if you can safely get there
We all want to protect the people we love, but sometimes we cannot do it on our own. If a family member or friend is in a mental health crisis call the crisis hotlines below, or if they are at risk of harming themselves or others, call the police—even though you or your family member may be upset or afraid—to help ensure everyone’s safety. Below are guidelines on how to call/text 9-1-1 for a mental health emergency.
Get Help
If you are concerned about someone who may be heading into a mental health crisis and needs help, call:
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San Mateo County Crisis Line (run by Starvista) at 1-650-579-0350 to speak with a confidential trained crisis counselor 24/7 or visit sanmateocrisis.org.
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National 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline at 988 or 1-800-273-8255
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San Mateo Medical Center Psychiatric Emergency Services at 650-573-2662 for consultation
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Mills-Peninsula Medical Center Psychiatric Emergency Services at 650-696-5915 for consultation
Family Assertive Support Team (FAST)
The Family Assertive Support Team is an in-home outreach service that offers assessment, consultation, and support services to adults (age 18+) in San Mateo County experiencing a severe mental health problem and their designated family members (broadly defined as individuals with close and enduring emotional ties).
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​Call the Family Assertive Support Team at (650) 368-3178 or (650) 363-8125.
What is FAST?
The FAST team consists of a therapist, family partners and peer counselor. FAST povides information, education and support to you and your loved ones, and helps connect you to appropriate services. Working collaboratively with families and clients to establish and achieve their personal goals, they look for opportunities to increase activation of needed lifestyle changes and effectively engage people into care while helping to increase participants’ sense of hope, control and ability to effect changes in their lives. The team strives to identify and employ the strengths, capacities and resiliency of the participants.