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Crisis Services
If you or someone you know is experiencing a mental health crisis or you have concerns for their immediate safety, that they may harm themselves or worry that they may require inpatient psychiatric treatment, please contact the CARES line at 1-800-345-9049 to access mobile crisis response services. Services are available 24/7, 365 days a year.
If you need immediate assistance or are experiencing a medical emergency, please contact 911.
Crisis services are services provided to individuals when they are experiencing a mental or behavioral health crisis. If you or someone you know is experiencing a crisis, do not hesitate to reach out. When in doubt, reach out. There are many ways to access crisis services.
CARES Hotline
If you, your child, or someone you know is experiencing a crisis or you have concerns for their immediate safety, or that they may require inpatient psychiatric treatment, please contact the CARES Hotline at 1-800-345-9049. The CARES Hotline is available 24/7, 365 days a year to both Medicaid and non-Medicaid customers.
A CARES Line worker will discuss the crisis with you and the eligibility of the person in crisis to determine if immediate Mobile Crisis Response is needed. If eligible, CARES will send a Mobile Crisis Response worker who will respond to the place of the person in crisis within 2 hours.
About the Screening, Assessment, Support Services (SASS) Program
The Screening Assessment and Support Services (SASS) program is for individuals under the age of 21 who are experiencing a behavioral health crisis. Individuals in crisis who are not Medicaid enrolled, or who do not know, may be eligible to receive crisis services funded by the State of Illinois through the program. A CARES Line worker will help to determine eligibility for crisis services.
Individuals enrolled in the SASS program receive 90-days of eligibility. The program includes access to the following services: mobile crisis response, crisis intervention, crisis stabilization, inpatient psychiatric treatment services, outpatient behavioral health services, limited pharmacy coverage for psychotropic medications, and care coordination services.
988
If you are experiencing a crisis and want someone to talk to, you can call or text 988. A trained and compassionate crisis counselor will talk or text with you to navigate your crisis. You can call or text for yourself, or for someone else. 988 is a confidential lifeline and available 24/7. If you or someone you know is struggling with thoughts of suicide or facing a mental health or substance use crisis, help is just a call or text away.
For Medicaid Customers
If you are a Medicaid customer, you may contact a local crisis provider directly for services or contact the CARES Hotline at 1-800-345-9049.
All HFS-contracted HealthChoice Illinois Managed Care Plans partner with and HFS and the CARES Hotline to provide access to crisis services for Managed Care customers. A CARES Line worker will discuss the crisis with you and the eligibility of the person in crisis to determine if immediate Mobile Crisis Response is needed. If eligible, CARES will send a Mobile Crisis Response worker who will respond to the place of the person in crisis within 2 hours.
If you have questions, concerns, or would like to learn more about a HealthChoice Illinois Managed Care Plans Mobile Crisis Response program, please contact a representative from the appropriate managed care plan.
Find a Crisis Provider
HFS has established Designated Service Area Providers for Mobile Crisis Response who can offer immediate assistance if you or someone you know is having a crisis. The linked list below of Designated Service Area Providers of Mobile Crisis Response identifies by County (by zip code for Cook County) the Mobile Crisis Response provider that HFS has partnered with to provide crisis services. Below are additional resources that can be used to identify the appropriate Designated Service Area, including maps and a geographic breakdown of the coverage areas.
Designated Mobile Crisis Response Providers