If someone is in immediate danger, call 911. If they are thinking about suicide or are in emotional crisis, call or text 988 any time. In Utah, 988 is answered by the Utah Crisis Line, also reachable at 801-587-3000.
When someone you love is struggling, it helps to know there is a whole system in Utah built for the hardest moments, and a path for ongoing care after. Here is how the pieces connect.
Utah’s crisis system
Someone to call: 988 and the Utah Crisis Line
Calls to 988 from Utah are routed to the Utah Crisis Line, operated by the Huntsman Mental Health Institute. It is free, confidential, and staffed 24 hours a day, every day of the year, by certified crisis workers. They offer support, suicide prevention, referrals and follow-up, and they can send a mobile crisis team or first responders when needed. Callers can choose the Veterans Crisis Line or Spanish-language support.
Someone to come: mobile crisis outreach teams
Mobile Crisis Outreach Teams, often called MCOT, respond in person or by video, at no cost, around the clock. Teams include licensed clinicians and certified peer support specialists, and they arrive in unmarked vehicles. Salt Lake County has the largest MCOT coverage, and other local mental health authorities run their own teams. Call 988 to ask for one.
Somewhere to go: receiving centers
A receiving center is a 24/7 walk-in facility for people in a mental health or substance use crisis, staffed by therapists, nursing staff and peer counselors. It is often a better fit than an emergency room for a crisis that is not a medical emergency. Utah licenses these as behavioral health receiving centers under rule R501-24. Along the Wasatch Front they include:
- Weber County: McKay-Dee Hospital Behavioral Health Access Center, Ogden
- Davis County: Davis Behavioral Health Receiving Center, Layton
- Salt Lake County: Mental Health Crisis Center, South Salt Lake
- Utah County: Wasatch Behavioral Health Receiving and Outreach Center, Provo
For students, parents and educators, the SafeUT app offers crisis chat with licensed counselors, or call 833-372-3388.
After the crisis: levels of ongoing care
| Level | What it involves | Often right when |
|---|---|---|
| Outpatient | Weekly or biweekly therapy, medication management | Symptoms are manageable and daily life mostly works |
| Intensive outpatient (IOP) | Several hours a day, several days a week | Weekly therapy is not enough, but home is safe |
| Partial hospitalization (PHP) | A full treatment day most weekdays, home at night | Stepping down from a hospital, or trying to avoid one |
| Residential | Living on site with round-the-clock structure for weeks | Ongoing risk or instability at home |
| Inpatient psychiatric | Short hospital stay focused on safety and stabilization | Acute danger to self or others |
Our guide to mental health levels of care explains the signs that point to each one.
Your local mental health authority
Every Utah county is served by a local mental health authority, a public program responsible for community mental health services, including crisis response. These programs also offer care at no or reduced cost to people who do not qualify for Medicaid, lack insurance, or cannot afford therapy. In northern Utah:
- Weber and Morgan counties: Weber Human Services, Ogden
- Davis County: Davis Behavioral Health, Layton
- Box Elder, Cache and Rich counties: Bear River Mental Health, Logan
- Salt Lake County: Salt Lake County Behavioral Health Services
- Utah County: Wasatch Behavioral Health, Provo
Paying for care
- Utah Medicaid covers behavioral health services through a managed care plan, a prepaid mental health plan, or fee-for-service Medicaid. Call 1-866-608-9422 if you are not sure which applies.
- Private insurance must be checked for in-network programs at the level of care recommended.
- Local authorities for people without coverage.
Choosing a program
- Confirm a residential or day program holds the right Utah DLBC license for the service.
- Ask how often a psychiatrist or psychiatric nurse practitioner sees each person.
- Ask whether they treat co-occurring substance use.
- Ask what the step-down plan looks like, and who sets up follow-up appointments.
What to expect when you call for help
You do not need to have the right words. A crisis worker will ask what is going on, whether anyone is in danger right now, and what support the person has. You can call for yourself or about someone else. Many calls end with a plan made together over the phone: a safety plan, a referral, or a follow-up call the next day. If the situation needs more, the crisis worker can send a mobile team or, when someone is in immediate danger, emergency responders.
It helps to have a few things ready: the person’s location, any medications they take, whether there are weapons in the home, and the name of their therapist or doctor if they have one.
Common questions
What is the Utah Crisis Line number?
Call or text 988, or call the Utah Crisis Line directly at 801-587-3000. Both are free and open 24/7.
Is there a mental health crisis care center in Utah I can walk into?
Yes. Receiving centers in Ogden, Layton, South Salt Lake and Provo, among others, accept walk-ins around the clock for mental health and substance use crises.
What does a mobile crisis team do?
A licensed clinician and a peer specialist come to the person, or connect by video, to help de-escalate and plan next steps, at no cost. Request one through 988.
Where can I get low-cost mental health care in Utah?
Start with your county’s local mental health authority, which serves people regardless of insurance, often at reduced cost.
Want help sorting it out? A Utah Care Network guide can talk it through with you, free. Tell us about your loved one or call 801-859-7000.
Sources
- Huntsman Mental Health Institute: Utah Crisis Line, MCOT and crisis services
- Utah Association of Counties: Behavioral health receiving centers
- Utah DHHS: Local mental health authority map
- Utah Medicaid: Behavioral health services
- Utah DLBC: Human services rules and license types
This guide is general information, not medical, legal or financial advice. Coverage rules change; confirm details with the program or your plan.
