There’s been much guesswork in determining the call volume 988 will experience, especially calls it could divert from 911. Americans make 240 million 911 calls per year, and behavioral health experts believe 988 could deflect at least 10%. This estimate comes, in part, from a Treatment Advocacy Center report highlighting
As communities explore ways to divert behavioral health and quality of life crises from law enforcement, they’re also asking when and how to best collaborate with police in the safest and least restrictive way for people in distress. This shift is necessary for people overall, says Dr. Margie Balfour, chief
Emergency medical services in the United States have been shaped by the pioneering 1960s-‘70s Freedom House, a professional Black-run ambulance service that replaced law enforcement and funeral homes in the role of emergency transport, many of whom refused to go into Black neighborhoods, and helped establish the national standards for
In Northeast Oklahoma, there are nearly 6,000 “mental health machine” iPads in circulation. With just the press of a button, first responders, hospitals, and people in crisis can immediately connect face-to-face with the Grand Lake Mental Health Center crisis line. The Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinic, which serves adults, children,
In 2013, Grady EMS in Atlanta, Georgia, launched a pilot to provide 911 callers experiencing mental health challenges an alternative to traditional Emergency Medical Services transport to the emergency department. “We wanted to have a more robust response for callers who didn’t need ambulance transport but who needed a different
In the City of Austin, when a person dials 911, the call taker asks, “Are you calling for police, fire, EMS, or mental health services?” Adding mental health as an option is groundbreaking and allows people in the community to identify whether a psychiatric concern precipitated the call or is
On February 13, 2013, Bill O’Quin couldn’t find his 41-year-old son, David. He’d sometimes disappear for a day or two, but on the third day of his absence, O’Quin started calling local hospitals and precincts. None had a patient or inmate named David O’Quin. A jail in Baton Rouge, Louisiana,
When an ambulance is called to the scene of a crisis in the United States, no matter the type, there are a limited number of places it can go next. Emergency ground ambulance services can transport to a hospital, skilled nursing facility, or a dialysis center. More often than not,
Elijah McClain was walking home from a convenience store with iced tea when someone called 911, telling the operator he was wearing a ski mask and had his hands up. “He looks sketchy,” said the caller. When asked for a description, the caller said he thought he was a Black
Singer Keith England had just finished his Sunday evening gig at the Standing Room in Hermosa Beach, California. It was about 9:30 p.m. when he began heading down Pier Ave. and crossed paths with a young man who asked him for help.
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