Austin 911 has successfully transferred thousands of mental health calls to crisis clinicians

AUSTIN (KXAN) — Austin 911 operators have productively diverted countless numbers of phone calls to crisis clinicians as portion of a program to superior tackle mental health and fitness calls, according to a memo from Austin Law enforcement Chief Joseph Chacon.

APD’s Unexpected emergency Communications Middle designed the Mental Wellness Disaster Connect with Diversion (CCD) program in 2019, in collaboration with Austin-Travis County Integral Treatment.

Final yr, 82% of calls with a mental overall health crisis element ended up “diverted,” indicating clinicians ended up ready to assist the caller devoid of the need to send a law enforcement officer.

The CCD software focuses on diverting psychological overall health phone calls to a Center Crisis Clinician (C3), when acceptable. In accordance to Chacon’s memo, the purpose of the software is to approach mental well being phone calls from a cure point of view, alternatively than from a felony justice system point of view.

“People suffering from a mental health crisis have better outcomes when they acquire the unique care they need to have,” Chacon mentioned. “The C3 offers callers with entire triage screenings, helps with de-escalation of disaster, completes basic safety preparing, dispatches Integral Care’s crisis teams, and presents other group referrals as required.”

The metropolis also additional mental overall health companies as a fourth selection when an individual calls 911 — beyond police, hearth or professional medical expert services — in February 2021, turning into the first Emergency Communications Heart in North The us to do so.

The CCD plan currently has 16 clinicians, supported by a supervisor, two team potential customers and an superior nurse practitioner. At least one particular clinician is available 24 hrs a working day, and up to three are readily available to receive calls for the duration of peak several hours.

If the caller refuses C3 aid or calls for to communicate with a police officer, they are sent back again to a 911 operator, who then produces a connect with for company for law enforcement reaction.