Spokane County to pilot mobile dispatch unit for 988 calls; youth stabilization team shifts to 24/7

Ashley Dunn, speaking for the county crisis system, briefed the Spokane County Behavioral Health Advisory Board on three administrative updates: (1) a crisis-response triage and mobile dispatch unit to streamline 988 and regional crisis-line (RCL) transfers, (2) the merging of a SAMHSA-funded mobile response and stabilization services (MRSS) team into the child, youth and family mobile crisis team, and (3) early-stage legislative tracking for the session.

Dunn said Spokane's regional service area is unusual in that the same provider operates both the 988 and the regional crisis line, a vertical integration she said enables a coordinated approach. The county began staffing daytime hours for a mobile dispatch unit in December to centralize call triage and rapidly dispatch mobile crisis teams when an in-person response is needed. Dunn described the implementation as tiered and evaluative as additional shifts are added.

On the youth services front, Dunn said the MRSS program — originally supported by a SAMHSA grant — has been incorporated into the broader crisis system and delegated through managed-care organizations. "As of January 1, the MRSS team merged into the child, youth, and family team, and they are now a 24/7 operating team providing both crisis intervention and stabilization services," Dunn said. She added that service access for families has not changed and that the consolidation aims to remove funding and reporting fragmentation.

Dunn also told the board she expects the current legislative session to be constrained by budget concerns and that the county is tracking proposals relevant to behavioral-health funding and system design; she did not present a finalized bill list because many measures were at an early stage.

Ending: Dunn said the county will return with updates as the mobile dispatch rollout continues and as the county compiles incoming legislation for more detailed review.