NEDHSA Launches Northeast Louisiana Regional Mobile Crisis System Through Landmark Partnership with Growing Hope

New Region 8 Mobile Crisis Partnership Creates a Comprehensive Behavioral Health Crisis Response Network Across Twelve Parishes

MONROE, La., July 9, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Northeast Delta Human Services Authority (NEDHSA) and Growing Hope Recovery today announced the creation of the Region 8 Mobile Crisis Partnership, Northeast Louisiana's first fully integrated regional behavioral health mobile crisis system.

Established through a Memorandum of Understanding between the two organizations, the Region 8 Mobile Crisis Partnership creates a coordinated, community-based crisis response network serving all twelve parishes of Northeast Louisiana, while establishing a model the parties hope will be replicated throughout the state.

Under the agreement, NEDHSA will provide executive leadership for the regional crisis system by overseeing federal and state compliance, administration, strategic planning, analytics, quality assurance, and overall system coordination. Growing Hope will serve as the operational arm of the partnership, deploying Mobile Crisis Response Teams that provide immediate, in-person behavioral health intervention for adults experiencing mental health or substance use crises throughout Region 8.

"This is more than a partnership: it is the creation of an entirely new behavioral health infrastructure for Northeast Louisiana," said Dr. Monteic A. Sizer, Executive Director of NEDHSA. "The Region 8 Mobile Crisis Partnership represents a fundamental shift in how behavioral health crises are addressed. Rather than relying solely on the heroic efforts of emergency departments, ambulance services, and law enforcement agencies, individuals will now receive timely, compassionate, community-based care from trained crisis professionals who will be embedded with first responders."

"This partnership reflects a shared commitment to ensuring that individuals and families across Northeast Louisiana have timely access to compassionate, high-quality behavioral health and crisis services," said Growing Hope founder Cecilia Sullivan. "At Growing Hope Recovery, we believe recovery begins with collaboration, and we're honored to stand alongside Northeast Delta Human Services Authority to strengthen the continuum of care for the communities we serve. Together, we're building a system that meets people where they are, responds when they need help most, and creates lasting pathways to hope and recovery."

The Region 8 Mobile Crisis Partnership supports Louisiana's ongoing implementation of crisis response by creating a regional infrastructure necessary to dispatch trained crisis responders into communities when an in-person response is needed. The partnership will coordinate closely with insurance companies, hospitals, law enforcement agencies, emergency medical services, behavioral health providers, and other community partners to ensure individuals experiencing behavioral health crises receive the most appropriate level of care.

"The Region 8 Mobile Crisis Partnership is more than an operational advancement; it is a bold step toward the future we envision for behavioral health in Northeast Louisiana," said Dr. Sizer. "By building a regional infrastructure capable of deploying trained crisis responders directly into our communities, we are laying the groundwork for a system that is proactive and transformative. When insurance companies, hospitals, law enforcement, EMS, and behavioral health providers work in true alignment, we move closer to a future where every person in crisis receives timely care, every family feels supported, and every community becomes stronger. This is the kind of innovation that reshapes outcomes for generations."

The Region 8 Mobile Crisis Partnership will serve residents throughout Caldwell, East Carroll, Franklin, Jackson, Lincoln, Madison, Morehouse, Ouachita, Richland, Tensas, Union, and West Carroll Parishes.

The launch represents another milestone in NEDHSA's strategy to build one of the nation's most comprehensive regional behavioral health systems. In recent years, NEDHSA has expanded integrated healthcare, opioid response initiatives, harm reduction services, maternal substance use treatment, behavioral health research, and recovery supports throughout Northeast Louisiana. The Region 8 Mobile Crisis Partnership now adds a coordinated regional crisis response system that bridges the gap between the crisis needs and community-based behavioral healthcare.

About Northeast Delta Human Services Authority

Northeast Delta Human Services Authority (NEDHSA) is Louisiana's designated local governing entity for behavioral health and developmental disability services in Region 8. Serving twelve parishes across Northeast Louisiana, NEDHSA provides leadership in behavioral healthcare through prevention, treatment, crisis services, recovery support, integrated care, research, and community partnerships dedicated to improving health outcomes for the region's citizens.

About Growing Hope Recovery

Growing Hope Recovery is a recovery support organization dedicated to helping individuals and families affected by substance use disorders find hope, healing, and long-term recovery. Through peer support services, recovery coaching, advocacy, community outreach, and connections to treatment and recovery resources, Growing Hope Recovery empowers individuals to build healthy, fulfilling lives while reducing stigma and strengthening recovery communities throughout Northeast Louisiana.

SOURCE Northeast Delta Human Services Authority