Preston County 911 Center will update its Standard Operating Guidelines starting Jan. 1 to improve care for mental health crisis calls by implementing a transfer system to the West Virginia 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline. The Preston County Commission approved the update following a review and presentation by the Preston County 911 Advisory Council.
The West Virginia 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline is a 24/7 free, confidential service providing one-on-one support for mental health, suicide, and substance use-related problems. Justin Wolfe, director of the Preston County Office of Emergency Management and 911 Center, explained the rationale: “West Virginia 988 has been able to handle some of these calls for probably close to a year now. They are finding out that they are having a very good success rate with being able to deescalate a call of this nature.”
Implementation Details
The 911 center will divert calls to 988 only if there is no immediate danger or domestic violence and if the caller is willing to be connected with a healthcare specialist. In cases where a caller is not open to the transfer or if operators identify immediate danger, first responders will be dispatched to the scene on the initial call.
Law enforcement and Emergency Medical Services training generally does not cover mental health crises in depth, according to officials. Wolfe noted his own experience as a field medic included very little training on handling mental health crises. In contrast, 988 operators can connect callers immediately with trained healthcare professionals better equipped to assess their needs. Operators for 988 can remain on the line with callers longer, often for hours, whereas 911 operators are limited by high call volume. Additionally, 988 services are integrated with Valley Mental Health and other facilities across the state, allowing operators to help set up future care after a call is de-escalated.
Officials expect the updated guidelines will alleviate call volume at the 911 center, improve functionality, and allow the center to handle more calls simultaneously while connecting those in mental health crises with better assistance.
This article is an AI-assisted summary. All facts and figures are drawn from the original report: https://www.wvnews.com/prestoncountynews/preston-county-911-to-utilize-west-virginia-988-suicide-crisis-lifeline-in-the-new-year/article_68c1a45d-cf5c-4ef8-8599-1f1b67678734.html