In the 2000's, I was part of EMQs 24-hour mobile crisis team to assess minors at risk in the community (at their therapist's office, school, home, etc.). I would assess whether the child had serious plans for self-harm or were in a mental health crisis. The goal was to keep kids safe. After the assessment, I would either a) work with the family to create a safety plan if the determination was that the child could remain at home safely (least restrictive) or b) I would write a 5150 hold for the child/teen. It was also my job to find a bed for those kids requiring a hold to keep them safe. Finding a bed was often a huge problem. We had a list of facilities that we worked with, all were out-of-county, and often all beds were full. This has been a consistent problem for many, many years. We are not meeting the mental health needs of kids in our communities. Preventative care, ongoing mental health therapy and support, and crisis care are severely lacking for children. This is a scary and sad environment for families looking to find the resources they need to support their children. Mental health care is health care, and if we want children to survive and thrive, I really hope we can work together to figure out how to meet these needs and fund the services.