Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Mental Health Crisis Response topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Great Rivers, Olympic Health and Columbia Wellness brief Cowlitz Board on 988 transition and regional crisis‑response plans
Summary
Great Rivers Behavioral Health ASO and regional partners described a recent change in the regional crisis line operator to Olympic Health and Recovery Services, plans to apply to become a 988 hub, and the state endorsement program for mobile crisis teams; board members were asked to support OHRS's 988 hub application.
Representatives of Great Rivers Behavioral Health Administrative Service Organization, Olympic Health and Recovery Services and Columbia Wellness briefed the Cowlitz County Board of Health and the Board of County Commissioners on changes to the regional crisis line and state‑level crisis system redesign tied to 988.
Trinidad Medina, chief executive director of Great Rivers BHASO, said Olympic Health and Recovery Services began operating the regional crisis line for the five‑county Great Rivers region on April 1. Joe Avalos, executive director of Olympic Health and Recovery Services, said OHRS already provides designated crisis responder services in the region and is familiar with local hospitals, law enforcement and mobile crisis teams.
Drew McDaniel, CEO of Columbia Wellness, described the role of mobile crisis teams and said Columbia Wellness chose to focus on boots‑on‑the‑ground mobile crisis response rather than become a national 988 hub. Columbia Wellness has sought endorsement under the state Mobile Crisis Response Endorsement Program and aims to meet the endorsed‑team standards (including staffing and response time) so it can deploy teams rapidly in the region.
Great Rivers staff said state policy will make 988 the primary entry point for help seekers, and the regional crisis line will shift toward professional consultation, dispatch and in‑person response for medical providers, 911, law enforcement and behavioral‑health professionals. Department of Health contracts for 988 hubs; Great Rivers and OHRS said they plan to apply for a regional 988 hub so calls for the Great Rivers area are answered by a locally staffed operation rather than a distant vendor.
Board members applauded local staffing and uptime; Great Rivers and OHRS said the regional crisis line historically handled roughly 3,500–4,000 calls a month and they plan to keep local operations available and free of a phone‑tree menu. The organizations asked the county for letters of support for OHRS’s 988 hub application; commissioners confirmed a letter of support had already been sent and encouraged community partners to submit similar letters.
Presenters outlined the state endorsement standard for mobile crisis teams and said two regional teams — Columbia Wellness and Cascade Community Healthcare — have applied for endorsement. Endorsed teams must meet staffing and response‑time targets and incorporate certified peer counselors, presenters said.
Presenters also described how callers who contact 988 might be triaged and, when an in‑person response is needed, routed to a regional crisis line for dispatch of local teams. They emphasized a “no wrong door” policy: callers who reach the regional number instead of 988 will still be served.
The board thanked presenters and encouraged coordination to ensure local handoffs, data sharing and training between 988, the regional crisis line and mobile crisis teams; presenters offered to share a template letter of support for community partners.
