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Council approves nurse-led 911 navigation pilot to triage non-emergency medical calls
Summary
Council approved a contract with Crosswalk Inc. to add a registered-nurse navigation line within 911 to route callers to appropriate care—urgent care, telehealth, pharmacy, behavioral health, or EMS as needed—at no cost to the city and with expected summer launch.
Columbus City Council approved an ordinance authorizing a contract with Crosswalk Inc. to add a nurse-led healthcare navigation line within the city’s 911 system.
Chair Reaming described the program as a means to match callers to appropriate care and keep ambulances available for true emergencies. The Division of Fire reported roughly 145,000 EMS/medical calls in 2024—about 400 medical calls per day—and noted that many calls do not require emergency transport. Under the Crosswalk program, calls that meet clinical criteria will be transferred to a registered nurse who can recommend care alternatives including urgent care, primary care, telehealth, pharmacy support, behavioral health services, transportation assistance, or in-home self-care; calls deemed emergent will be routed immediately back to EMS.
The chair and several council members praised the pilot as both resident-centered and a way to preserve emergency resources. Council also approved related public-safety appropriations and maintenance contracts for neighborhood safety cameras during the same committee session.
