By Julie Washington
cleveland.com
CLEVELAND, Ohio 鈥� University Hospitals and other local agencies are partnering on a $1.3 million pilot program aimed at improving emergency response for mental health-related calls in Cleveland鈥檚 eastern suburbs, the health system recently announced.
The pilot project trains dispatchers in Geauga County and the Chagrin Valley region to ask 9-1-1 callers questions to quickly determine if the call involves a mental health crisis, and if so, the best response to the situation. That response could involve medical care, a police response or other options, UH said in a news release.
Dispatchers at the Geauga County Sheriff County-Wide Public Safety Communications System and the Chagrin Valley Dispatch, a communication center for 30 municipalities in the Cleveland area, have spent the past few months learning the new protocols, UH said.
handles emergency dispatch for Bedford, Chagrin Falls, Solon, Maple Heights, North Randall, Euclid, Bratenahl, Gates Mills, Hunting Valley and other communities, UH said.
鈥淭hose with mental health crises live everywhere. This is not just a problem isolated to a certain demographic, location or social class,鈥� said supervisor of the Geauga County Sherriff County-Wide Public Safety Communications System.
鈥淭his program will help provide these professionals with tools to better identify persons experiencing a mental health emergency or crisis so an appropriate response can be initiated to get that person the specific help they need in a timelier manner,鈥� Reed said in a statement.
The pilot project launched this month.
The training was developed with Texas-based Meadows Mental Health Policy Institute, UH said.
The program is funded through grants from the nonprofit American Arbitration Association and the charitable Sozosei Foundation.
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