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Spokane City Fire, Frontier to pilot clinician‑paramedic behavioral health response
Summary
BHASO staff said an interlocal agreement with Spokane City Fire will pair Frontier clinicians with paramedics to respond to behavioral health incidents in the city; the program is in planning and aims to reduce law enforcement responses and hospital transports.
Spokane County BHASO staff reported that the behavioral health core response program — pairing a Frontier Behavioral Health clinician with a Spokane City Fire paramedic — is entering implementation planning after an interlocal agreement was signed.
Jessica Thompson, integrated behavioral health care supervisor at the BHASO, told the advisory board that the unit pairs a behavioral health clinician with a paramedic to respond to incidents that need both medical and behavioral health expertise. “The ultimate goal [is] diverting from the need for law enforcement to respond to a situation that may not necessarily need their expertise,” Thompson said. The program’s intent is also to reduce on‑scene times, avoid unnecessary hospital transports and connect people to community services.
Thompson said planning continues on shift schedules and coverage; she said the BHASO hopes the program can begin providing services “within the next couple months” and then expand coverage. When asked whether Spokane City Fire’s paired unit would operate outside the city limits, BHASO staff said the current plan limits the unit to the city of Spokane while operational details are finalized.
The presentation noted the signed interlocal agreement between Frontier and Spokane City Fire as the formal step toward implementation. No formal vote or funding allocation was reported at the meeting; Thompson said further operational details and coverage decisions will be shared as planning progresses.
