CESSA Subcommittee for Technology, Systems Integration & Data Management (TSIDM)
August 21, 2023, 2:00 - 3:30 pm
Meeting Minutes - Approved by Members 09/05/2023
Subcommittee members: Brent Reynolds, Cindy Barbera-Brelle, David Albert (Designee-Lee Ann Reinert), Richard Manthy, Alice Cary, Jim Kaitschuk, Ashley Thoele (Designee - Robert Van Bebber)
Expert Consultant Group (ECG) members: Peter Eckart, Chris Baldwin
- Welcome and Call to Order
- Meeting Logistics/OMA
- Roll Call and Approval of Minutes from previous TSIDM meeting
- State Updates
- Planning for the next 12 months of CESSA TSIDM
- Next Meeting Dates
- Public Comment
- Adjournment
The meeting was opened by Brent Reynolds at 2:04 pm
Roll call:
Present: Brent Reynolds, Lee Ann Reinert, Jim Kaitschuk, Bobby Van Bebber
Motion to approve minutes from Lee Ann Reinert, seconded by Brent Reynolds.
Minutes from 7/11/23 approved by all present members.
Brent Reynolds reviewed procedures around the Open Meetings Act and meeting logistics.??
State Updates - Lee Ann Reinert
- 988 Workgroup has convened. Significant overlap with what we are doing with CESSA.
- State and UIC visit to Virginia to review models and structures around 988 technology and communication
- Continuing to see good metrics in our 988 system. 85% call answer rate
Data and Technology Planning
- FY 24 workplan through July 1, 2024
- Current operations and suggestions we would make to revise them. AND recommendations for future systems
- Big pieces of work: Develop the operations procedures for communication between 911 and 988, and between 988 and MCRT; Develop recommendations for technical systems and infrastructure necessary to facilitate and automate data collection and contact transfers, including implementation and training recommendations
- Develop and approve data collection and reporting procedures
- Each year the emergency telephone system board files a financial report, there fore is capable of doing a yearly report
- Jim Kaitschuk: There's so much variation between CAD reporting systems on simple things, how do we know which data categories to include?
- Peter: Part of what we want to come out of the conversation is, what stuff is this subcommittee going to have to look at to accomplish each activity here? Some can be done with research at the Hub.
- Brent: In order to report data, you need to be collecting it. I don't think we are at a place that the PSAPs know what data they are supposed to be reporting / collecting at this moment.
- Susan Schafer: Wouldn't you need to develop procedures before performance metrics and data collections points?
- Peter: I think from a data perspective, typically when you design a data system you start with what you want it to look like at the end and then establish the priorities. We need to look at it from different parts of the continuum. We are trying to sift through the different priorities so we can find a system to work through together.
- Mary: Some of the information that we are using comes from the Standards and Protocols committee. They have been working for a while looking at the relationship between 911 / 988/ MCRTs and the dispatch / communication needs. It's not that we haven't been working on it, it's that some of the work is shared. We can work towards collecting different data as the system evolves.
- Lee Ann: One of the things that all of this work has driven home for me is how incredibly complex it is. On the surface CESSA's shared vision has everyone on the same page. It's a worthy goal. And, I didn't know much about the 911 system but it is so complicated. I've known about these systems for a very long time, I assumed they were all operating the same way but that is not the case. And that is only one part of what we are trying to coordinate. Let's remember that what we are trying to do is #1 worthy, and #2 difficult. As we talk about how we collect data and what procedure we approve, we need to answer the questions of 'why are we collecting the data.' What is it we want to accomplish by collecting the data? Over time see improvement in the system, we need to have data to see what is working well and what we need to improve. We need to understand it so we understand cost and we can adequately fund the operations of it. We need to hold ourselves accountable to the CESSA mandate by collecting meaningful data the represents the functioning of the system.
- Mary: I'd like to remind people that this work is not isolated. It comes from many other places and conversations. The Protocols and Standards Committee, and our work with the PSAPs on the Landscape Analysis Survey. We didn't just come up with these indicators because they sounded great, they come from other committees as well.
- Develop the operations procedure for communication between 911 and 988 and MCRT. What do we need to know to do this?
- Brent: Understanding those that we represent best. Our (911) operational procedures are receiving calls from 988. Since we do not have MCRT we do not dispatch MCRTs. If 911 had better understanding of when 988 contacts 911, what the procedures are, what's allowable, what data can be provided
- Kevin Richardson (PATH): Our procedure is straightforward. We are only contacting 911 when we are instructed to by MCRT, or if MCRT is not available, or if it's very clear to us that the caller has imminent risk - they have already taken action to end their lives or there is no possibility to deescalate. We do our best to gather the basic demographics information, but sometimes people in mental health crisis are hesitant to provide that.
- Brent: How are you currently able today to identify what PSAP when you have to call 911?
- Kevin: We have a robust data system. We have state information and database. We have a zip code based system. If they give us their information we can find it. If they are just a person standing on the street somewhere that's difficult.
- Brent: There are some MCRTs that exist in PSAPs, but most of them don't have that in place yet.
- Kevin: PATH handled over 9,000 calls from 988 in July. It ended up being something like 50 that we needed 911 intervention. It's few and far between. When we think of the shortfalls in technology, we can remember that it's a very small percentage of calls.
- Integrate recommendations for related tech system from associated funding opportunities
- Peter: Mary and I are working on this with another UIC Center. I'm also aware of some grants that have not been approved yet but may provide some additional funding for system development. We can pay attention to that and integrate it into our plan. This will probably mostly be done by the Hub.
- Develop recommendations for technical systems and infrastructure necessary to facilitate and automate data collection and contact transfers, including implementation and training recommendations.
- Brent: Any feedback on the current structure of the meetings? Are we going down the right path? Are there things that we could do to help you feel more productive or comfortable contributing to these discussions?
Next meetings:
1st and 3rd Mondays at 2:00 pm
Exceptions:
- Reschedule September 4 to September 5 9:00 am - 10:30 am
- Reschedule January 1 to January 2 9:00 am - 10:30 am
- Reschedule January 15 to January 16 9:00 am - 10:30 am
- Reschedule February 19 to February 20 9:00 am - 10:30 am
Public Comment:
Zachary Gittrich: How homogeneous the different regions are to 911 operators and 590s? Are 911 and 590s near each other handling more than one region?
- Brent: I have two regions that have a bit of overlap and we had to have a conversation about moving to one region or sitting in two. We decided to sit in one region. I think we are trying to get them to serve one region. I think we should follow up with Cindy on this. And we can report on this more next time.
Meeting was adjourned by Brent Reynolds at 3:25 pm. No opposition.
