Overview
Clear Pathways has released a new Crisis Response Brief that provides strategies for bringing 911/988 interoperability to scale. “Bringing 911/988 Interoperability to Scale” is the second in a three-part series. It explores Clear Pathways’ 911/988 Interoperability Strategy, lessons learned, and recommendations.
Since 2022, Clear Pathways has developed and continuously refined an Interoperability Strategy focused on facilitating warm transfers from 911 to 988. We are supporting 911 public safety answering points (PSAPs) and 988 call center coordination. Through this initiative, we are working to ensure that people experiencing behavioral health crises have a path to help across Ohio and the nation.
During the Crisis Response Pilot, Clear Pathways collaborated with five Ohio sites. Each site worked to develop or expand warm transfer criteria from 911 to 988. Warm transfers occur when a call taker transfers a call to another respondent. They provide information about the caller to reduce information repetition and improve the caller’s experience. While creating these criteria, Clear Pathways staff identified several opportunities to enhance 988’s support for 911 callers. Further, staff developed recommendations for sites to scale 911/988 interoperability and develop a coordinated system.
Recommendations for Scaling Interoperability
The brief shares challenges, recommendations, and anticipated benefits for communities seeking to develop a coordinated system of care for 911/988 interoperability. The following five recommendations are presented:
- Develop leadership approval processes. Advance interoperability efforts through formal leadership approval at the state or county level.
- Prioritize technology investments. Support PSAPs and 988 centers in modernizing their technology infrastructure.
- Expand resources to bolster funding and operational support. Provide additional funding and operational support to bolster staffing at both PSAPs and 988 centers.
- Improve 911’s behavioral health call identification. Invest in targeted training for 911 staff that consolidates established best practices, emerging research, and real-world examples from across the field.
- Develop a behavioral health interoperability continuum. Use findings from this evaluation to design a dedicated framework tailored to behavioral health interoperability.
The publication is a valuable resource for local 988 and PSAP administrators and community leaders working to operationalize and scale 988 integration with established emergency response systems. The third and final brief in this series will be released in August.
Lunch & Learn
The second brief was discussed in detail at the Clear Pathways Lunch and Learn, “Scaling 911/988 Interoperability: Early Lessons and Ohio’s Approach,” held in June. This session focused on early recommendations for expanding 911-988 interoperability beyond pilot efforts, and featured a conversation with Ohio’s State 988 Administrator. Participants heard how the 988 office is planning for and supporting interoperability efforts across Ohio.
