Great Rivers agencies outline April 1 transition to Olympic Health for regional crisis line, ask Lewis County to back local 988 hub

Great Rivers Behavioral Health Administrative Services Organization and regional partners told the Lewis County Board of County Commissioners on March 18 that Olympic Health and Recovery Services will take over the Great Rivers regional crisis line on April 1 and that local officials should consider endorsing OHRS as a 988 hub.

The presentation, delivered by Trinidad Medina, chief executive director of Great Rivers BHASO, Drew McDaniel, CEO of Columbia Wellness, and Joe Avalos, executive director of Olympic Health and Recovery Services, described a planned operational transition and a wider state redesign that will make 988 the public-facing entry point for behavioral health emergencies. "April 1 is the official start date for Olympic Health and Recovery Services," Medina told commissioners.

The change follows state legislation and joint guidance that align the statewide crisis network with the national 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline. According to presenters, Columbia Wellness currently triages nearly 4,000 crisis calls a month across the five-county Great Rivers region and elected to focus its resources on in-person mobile crisis response. "Columbia Wellness made a decision that we couldn't take 4,000 calls and put boots on the ground at the speed that we wanted to," McDaniel said.

Olympic Health and Recovery Services said it has experience running crisis lines and designated crisis responder services in the region and elsewhere. "We have been a licensed behavioral health agency in the state of Washington for about 8 years now... and we've also been providing regional crisis line services in Thurston and Mason Counties," Avalos said. He also noted OHRS' accreditation with the International Council for Helplines, a credential the presenters said is a requirement to be a 988 hub.

Great Rivers staff described the operational model the state is moving toward: 988 will be promoted as the primary entry point for members of the public seeking immediate telephone crisis support, while the regional crisis line will remain available to professionals (for example, emergency department social workers, behavioral health clinicians, first responders) seeking consultation or requesting mobile crisis team dispatch. Amanda Moore of Great Rivers' clinical team said, "The answer is, when you or someone you care about is seeking help for a behavioral health emergency" they should call 988.

Presenters said the transition includes technology and client-record handoffs and that they have met regularly to ensure a warm handoff so frequent callers and local mobile crisis teams retain continuity. Medina said the Great Rivers BHASO issued an internal request for information and selected OHRS as the regional crisis-line provider; OHRS and Columbia Wellness have been meeting every other week to coordinate the transfer.

Presenters also urged local support for OHRS to be designated a 988 hub by the Washington State Department of Health. "There is significance in what is referred to as trauma informed care... We firmly believe in what we refer to as regionally informed care," McDaniel said, adding a concern that callers with locally specific needs could receive less appropriate responses if a nonregional hub handled their calls. Medina asked commissioners to consider a letter of recommendation to the Department of Health when the hub application window opens.

Commissioners present expressed appreciation for the coordination and the regional approach; one commissioner asked OHRS how it would staff to handle call volume in the short term, and Avalos said hybrid (remote and local) staffing plus local training and vetting at a Lewis County office would be offered to attract applicants. No formal motion or county action on the recommendation was recorded during the meeting.

Presenters said additional 988 hub applications would be evaluated by the Health Care Authority later in the year and that broader community education about 988 will ramp up in late 2025. Great Rivers staff provided contact information and a letter template for commissioners who wish to endorse OHRS to the Department of Health.

Topline details of the presentation: - Transition date: April 1 (OHRS operational as regional crisis-line provider) - Current regional call volume: presenters estimated about 3,500–4,000 calls per month handled by Columbia Wellness - Proposed role split: 988 = primary public entry for telephone intervention; regional crisis line = professional consultation and mobile crisis dispatch - Accreditation: OHRS said it is accredited by the International Council for Helplines (noted as relevant to 988 hub designation) - Formal action requested of commissioners: consider a letter of recommendation to the Washington State Department of Health for OHRS to be a 988 hub (no vote recorded at this meeting)

The presenters named Columbia Wellness, Olympic Health and Recovery Services, Cascade Community Healthcare (local mobile crisis team in Lewis County), and Great Rivers BHASO as participants in the regional crisis network. They also referenced state legislation and policy work that underpinned the redesign. The commissioners did not take a recorded vote on a letter of recommendation during the meeting; presenters left a template for board members who choose to send a letter afterwards.

The presentation materials noted upcoming administrative steps by the Health Care Authority and Department of Health related to hub designation; OHRS will begin operating the regional crisis line on April 1, and the county will be notified of further opportunities for local endorsement and community education events.