MEDIA ADVISORY: Mobile Outreach Support Team (MOST)

Published on September 06, 2023

Arlington County's Department of Human Services invites members of the media to a display of its newly launched Mobile Outreach Support Team (MOST) van on Thurs., Sep. 7, 2023.

The MOST’s specially equipped van (a County fleet vehicle modified using federal grant funds) provides services in the community and includes supplies for harm reduction, non-perishable food, water, a defibrillator, clothing, and hygiene items.

What: Arlington County Mobile Outreach Support Team (MOST) van

Who:

• U.S. Representative Don Beyer (D-VA)
• Arlington County Leadership
• Behavioral Healthcare Providers

When: Thurs., Sep. 7, 2023, at 2 p.m.

Where: Department of Human Services Behavioral Healthcare Building (2120 Washington Blvd., Arlington VA 22204)

Why: Arlington’s new Mobile Outreach Support Team (MOST) is changing the way the County responds to emergency calls. Rep. Don Beyer was instrumental in securing funding for behavioral health mobile crisis care.

Background: MOST

The MOST program, which launched July 31 of this year, is coordinated by the Department of Human Services (DHS), in partnership with the Arlington County Police Department, Arlington County Fire Department, and the Emergency Communications Center, which operates the County’s 9-1-1 call center.

The MOST team – which includes a licensed behavioral health clinician, a certified peer recovery specialist, and an outreach worker –provides a range of essential functions that include:

• Triage/screening, including explicit screening for suicidality
• Assessment
• De-escalation/resolution
• Peer support
• Coordination with medical and behavioral health services
• Crisis planning and follow-up

Arlington’s MOST is also able to distribute harm reduction tools such as Narcan and fentanyl test strips, connect people who are homeless to shelters and other services, and transport people from the scene to providers where they can receive assistance.