On July 1st, 2024, Governor Pritzker signed SB3648 which is now known as Public Act 103-0645. Included in the Act is an extension of the deadline for CESSA implementation to July 1, 2025, the ability to convene at subregional levels to complete work assigned to the RACs, and the ability to appoint an alternate chair to a RAC if the proposed alternate meets CESSA requirements/qualifications and the regional EMS Medical Director and DMH agree to the appointment.
Vision Statement:
Individuals experiencing mental health or substance-use related emergencies are deflected from unnecessary hospitalization or incarceration when appropriate and are linked with available, appropriate community services that enable the individual to recover, heal, and thrive.
Values:
- Demonstrate that behavioral health emergencies require responses consistent with emergency physical health care.
- Provide responses that are timely, welcoming, and coordinated, that are informed by latest research, and that reflect an appreciation for people's desire to self-direct what type of care they receive and where they receive it.
- Assure that responses to behavioral health emergencies requiring on-scene assistance and transportation to a service provider reflect a commitment to and a partnership with community-based supports; law enforcement interventions are a last resort-they are used as only appropriate based on the totality of the circumstances.
- Ensure the safety and well-being of all people present and/or involved in the entire process.
- Tailor strategies to the uniqueness of each community.
- Design systems and ensure quality using the insight and perspective of people with lived experiences.
- Base all efforts in equity, and an understanding that care must be responsive and accessible to a person's age, gender, culture, sexual orientation, disabilities, and other needs.
As FY25 begins, plans to pre-test and pilot test modifications to the protocols used by 911 PSAPS are well underway. Protocol and Standards Technical Sub-Committee (PSTSC) workgroups are working with each of the three major protocol vendors (PowerPhone, Priority Dispatch and APCO) to incorporate the Interim Risk Level Matrix (IRLM) risk factors and risk acuity/severity into the protocols. Once the IRLM is incorporated into the protocols, the changes to the protocols will be pre-tested with a small group of PSAPs using the protocols to determine (1) if the protocol modifications are successful in terms of identifying individuals experiencing behavioral health crises and (2) to evaluate, if based on the responses to questions added to the protocols, dispatch referrals comport with IRLM recommended response types available within PSAPs coverage areas. Once the pre-tests have been completed, the results/outcomes will be shared and discussed with the RAC co-chairs who will then share this information with RAC members and the pilot test working groups within each region for feedback. A similar process is envisioned for a small group of PSAPs who utilize protocols developed by the resource hospitals with whom they work.
Following the pre-tests and approval of the protocol modifications by EMS MDs and the Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH), each vendor's protocols and the dispatch referral process that includes referrals from 911 to 988 and referrals from 988 to mobile crisis response agencies will be pilot tested in each region and evaluated. The results of the evaluation will be shared for discussion and feedback with the pilot workgroups as well as with each RAC Co-Chair. The feedback and recommendations made by the RACs will be shared with the PSTSC for discussion and review.
