PIERCE COUNTY, Wash. — SouthSound 911 has a new asset to help deal with emergency calls in Pierce County.
Now if you’re going through a crisis and dial 911, a trained 988 counselor will be there to provide emotional support and crisis counseling.
It’s part of a pilot program that partners 911 call takers and dispatchers in SouthSound 911 with counselors from Volunteers of America, who’ll be working together under one roof.
Executive Director Deborah Grady says having counselors available in-house can make all the difference when dealing with someone enduring a mental health crisis.
“Our 911 call takers are quickly determining and triaging calls for emergencies, and so seconds literally count in an emergency environment and life safety,” she explained.
The partnership also addresses growing call volumes.
SouthSound 911 currently serves 38 police and fire agencies in Pierce County. Last year, the agency processed a million calls, and last month, 62,000 911 calls were processed.
Courtney Colwell, 988 Operations Manager for Volunteers of America, says this new program helps take on that load, and shifts calls that require different resources away from emergency services.
“It’s really about diverting from the 911 system when appropriate and providing an alternate avenue for individuals in our community to receive support during a behavioral health crisis,” she says. “Everyone knows to call 911, but not everyone knows when to call 988 yet, so our collective vision is that eventually, everyone will know when to call 911, and when to call 988.”
Meanwhile, Grady says although the program was just implemented a week ago, they’re already starting to see a lot of calls being directed to their 988 crisis line.
The call center is now compiling data on exactly how many of their calls require a crisis counselor, and Grady says SouthSound 911 is now even more equipped to serve Pierce County.
“Whether it’s a life safety emergency, or whether it’s someone in crisis that needs help, we’ve worked together to partner to get people help as quickly as possible,” Grady said.
If you or someone you know is suffering a mental or behavioral health crisis, you can call 988 and be immediately referred to emotional support, crisis counseling, and access to essential resources.