Welcome To The Message Book!

Since the direct number for NYC WELL was discontinued in 2023, clients in need of Mobile Crisis services in any of the five boroughs can only reach them by calling 988. If the person is physically in any of the boroughs, they should be able to reach NYC 988 directly by simply dialing 988. However, if they reach a different 988 center (such as LICC), they will need to request a warm transfer. The Nassau and Suffolk county Mobile Crisis Units only serve their respective counties, and would not be appropriate referrals to give if someone needs this service in Queens, Manhattan, Brooklyn, Bronx, or Staten Island. Please note that the NYC MCU only goes out between 8 AM - 8 PM, 7 days a week.

Since there has been a lot of confusion with this process, I have added a new referral - "Mobile Crisis Unit-Five Boroughs (NYC)" - to make it easier to find this information. If you receive a call on 988 for someone who needs MCU in NYC, you will need to perform a warm transfer to their local 988 center. The instructions for how to do a warm transfer can be found here in the counselor manual. I highly recommend printing them out for easy access.

Aside from Mobile Crisis services, we have many referrals with location restrictions, where some may only serve clients in certain towns or counties. Be sure to ask the caller where they are located before providing a referral, as we don't want to give out referrals that we know won't be able to help them. It's a good idea to ask callers where they live anyway, as we want to have this information for reporting stats to our funders. Location restrictions are listed at the top of the referral and/or at the beginning of the referral description.

Please don't hesitate to ask if you have any questions about how to handle calls from clients who need Mobile Crisis in NYC.

-Frank