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Great Rivers ASO briefed commissioners on 988 transition; county to consider recommending Olympic Health and Recovery Services as regional 988 hub
Summary
Great Rivers Behavioral Health ASO and regional providers told commissioners that Columbia Wellness will focus on mobile crisis response and Olympic Health and Recovery Services will take the regional crisis line beginning April 1; ASO staff asked the board to consider a letter recommending Olympic as a 988 hub when the state selects hubs.
Trinidad Medina, chief executive with the Great Rivers Behavioral Health Administrative Service Organization, and regional providers updated the Cowlitz County Board of Commissioners on an impending change in the regional behavioral health crisis system tied to the statewide 988 transition.
Medina said Columbia Wellness—longtime operator of the region’s local crisis line—will focus on enhanced mobile crisis (boots-on-the-ground teams) and will cede the regional crisis-line call center to Olympic Health and Recovery Services. The planned operational transition date is April 1. Medina said the regional toll-free number will continue to exist to serve professionals (law enforcement, health providers, schools) even as 988 becomes the public-facing help number. Olympic has been working with the ASO on onboarding and data-sharing and has applied to be a 988 hub for the region.
Drew McDaniel, CEO of Columbia Wellness, said the region averages roughly 4,000 crisis calls a month to the regional system and that Columbia wants to reallocate resources to accelerate mobile crisis response times; he said Columbia’s crisis center has historically answered promptly and mobilized mobile teams within 15–20 minutes in many cases. Joe Avalos, executive director of Olympic Health and Recovery Services, said Olympic is experienced in designated crisis responder work in the region and is pursuing accreditation and readiness to operate as a 988 hub.
Commissioners and providers discussed routing and technical challenges with 988, currently routed by area code in some places, and the difficulty of the national phone-tree models for callers in acute crisis. Providers said the long-term goal is a “no wrong door” system where callers reach trained crisis counselors and are rapidly triaged to local mobile teams or emergency services as needed. Providers and ASO staff said the state is expected to name a limited number of 988 hubs (the Department of Health was reported to plan to contract with four hubs for Washington) and asked county leaders to consider a letter of recommendation for Olympic Health and Recovery Services as a regional hub when the ASO solicits letters.
Commissioners expressed support for keeping crisis response as local as possible and asked ASO staff to prepare a draft letter; one commissioner asked Medina to carry the board’s feedback to state-level planning groups. No formal county vote was taken at the meeting; staff said they would prepare and submit a recommendation letter for the board’s consideration.
