KERN COUNTY, Calif. (KBAK/KBFX) — Kern County is getting statewide recognition for a program that is changing how some 911 calls are handled, aiming to connect people in crisis with help faster without always sending police.
Kern Behavioral Health and Recovery Services has earned a 2025 Challenge Award from the California State Association of Counties for its Mobile Evaluation Team Communications Center Program.
The program places behavioral health professionals inside 911 dispatch centers so that when calls involve a mental health crisis, assistance can begin immediately over the phone…