Providers say 988, mobile crisis teams and urgent‑care centers are central to Vermont’s crisis response

Representatives of Vermont Care Partners told lawmakers on Jan. 29 that the state’s crisis continuum — anchored by the 988 lifeline, enhanced mobile crisis teams and behavioral urgent‑care centers — is diverting people from emergency departments and, in at least one case, helped save a life.

At the hearing, Simone Rishmeier, executive director of Vermont Care Partners, said 988 call coverage in Vermont is handled by local designated agencies, with NKHS and NCSS sharing day/night duties, and that callers generally reach a live person quickly. “If you call, you will get somebody,” Rishmeier said, noting answer times have fallen from an average of 25 seconds in 2021 to about six seconds more recently.

The group described a layered crisis continuum: 988 phone coverage, enhanced two‑person mobile…