CESSA - Region 4 Committee Meeting Approved Minutes 01/21/2025

  • Community Emergency Services and Support Act (CESSA) Region 4 Advisory Committee

Meeting Minutes- January 21, 2025 - 10:00-11:30 via Zoom

Meeting Minutes - Approved by Members 02/18/2025

Welcome/Call to Order:

  • Meeting called to order at 10:01 by Co-Chair Julie Brugger

Open Meetings Act

  • Co-Chair Julie Brugger reviewed procedures around the Open Meetings Act.

Roll Call

  • Members Present:
    • Breona Hawkins via Zoom
    • Deborah Humphrey via Zoom
    • Jane Nesbit via zoom
    • Kelly Ann Jefferson via Zoom
    • JoAnn Russell-Baum via Zoom
    • Megan Black via Zoom
    • Charles Kelley via Zoom
    • John Nowak via Zoom
    • Brittany Pinnon-Becker via Zoom
    • Randy Randolph via Zoom
    • James Hengehold via Zoom
  • Members absent from the meeting:
    • Layla Simons, Steven Johnson, Dave Fellows, Emily Hejna, Joseph Harper, Erin Hazen, Cindy Wagner

Approval of Previous Meeting Minutes:

  • Kelly Ann Jefferson moved to approve the draft minutes from the November 19, 2024 and December 17, 2024 meetings. John Nowack seconded the motion.
  • Members in favor: Breona Hawkins, Deborah Humphrey, Jane Nesbit, Kelly Ann Jefferson, JoAnn Russell-Baum, Megan Black, Charles Kelley, John Nowak, Brittany Pinnon-Becker, Randy Randolph, James Hengehold
  • Motion carries

Business:

  • State and Crisis Hub Updates
    • Due to recording error, conversation was unintelligible

Pre-Test and Pilot Updates

  • PowerPhone
    • The pilot started at the end of January 2025. PowerPhone is installing protocol modifications/changes into the pilot PSAP's computer aided dispatch systems. Core trainings were completed by pilot PSAPs, 988 and MCRTs.
  • Priority Dispatch
    • A follow-up meeting was held with Priority Dispatch to further clarify questions with their protocol framework. Additional follow-up meetings will be held to finalize the Priority Dispatch protocol changes and IPLM mapping. Pre-tests are expected to begin no later than January/February 2025; Pilots to begin shortly thereafter.
  • APCO
    • Continuation review and finalization of recommendations for modifying protocols. Pre-tests are expected to begin in February 2025 followed by 3-month Pilots.

PowerPhone Pilot Guidance

  • Protocols are being modified to include a question that can bridge to the mental health protocol. The question being added is: Is the person behaving in an unusual manner?
    • That is being added to the protocols for: Public Disturbance, Welfare Check, Suspicious Person, Abandoned Person, Public Indecency, and Trespass.
  • An alert has been added to the protocols for: Domestic Disturbance, Elevator Rescue, and Criminal Damage. This alert is used to suggest that telecommunicators consider whether there is a Behavioral Health component to the caller's complaint. If the telecommunicator thinks that this is occurring, a co-response could be recommended if that capacity exists within the PSAPs coverage area.
  • Incidents in which Active use of Weapons, Life threatening Medical Issues and Safety Issues. Certain Criminal Activities will not be dispatched for community based behavioral health crisis response.

Acting in a usual manner is defined as:

  • Symptoms of psychosis include difficulty recognizing family or friends, hearing voices, seeing things that are not there, and other instances where a person experiences and senses things that do not exist in objective reality
  • Dressing in a manner that is not appropriate for the weather, such as wearing a winter coat in 90-degree weather
  • Grandiose statements, such as indicating they are famous or have great ability when that is not the case
  • Paranoia, such as predicting that a major natural disaster will occur today or thinking that they are the target of a political conspiracy
  • Extremely disorganized or unusual motor behavior, such as childlike silliness, rapid pacing, or physical agitation without an obvious cause
  • Disorganized speech, including talking very quickly or non-stop, or putting together words that are unrelated and cannot be understood

Guidance for 3rd party callers to 911:

  • Calls to 911 pertaining to an alleged mental health/behavioral health crisis of another person, based on observed, witnessed, or unusual behaviors, are to be transferred to Centerstone 988.
  • The 911 telecommunicator will apply the exclusionary criteria outlined above before considering transfer to Centerstone 988.

PROCESS for MCRT acceptance of third-party calls

  1. MCRT will accept all third-party calls from Centerstone 988 originating from 911 on a NO DECLINE basis.
  2. MCRT will immediately dispatch an available team to the location identified, and initiate crisis counseling, crisis intervention, problem-solving, and resolution.
  3. If the primary MCRT is responding to another crisis and/or unable to respond in under 60 minutes, this is to be immediately communicated to Centerstone 988.
  4. If a secondary MCRT is serving the same area, Centerstone 988 will redirect the call and initiate the transfer process as described above.
  5. If there is no secondary MCRT to respond and the primary MCRT cannot respond, Centerstone 988 will redirect the call back to 911 via the PSAP's 24/7 direct answer transfer phone number, and request to speak with the telecommunicator who transferred the originating call to Centerstone 988.
  6. If at any time, MCRT identifies that their ability to resolve the situation necessitates an additional level of support or assistance, they can call 911 for law enforcement or EMS response.
  • Subregional Planning
    • RAC Co-Chairs received an updated PSAP list during the first week of January
    • Reminder: Subregional committees must be convened by RAC majority vote
    • Reminder: SRC phase-in within pilot site areas (or converted hyperlocal meeting bodies)
    • SRC - target rollout by the end of March 2025
    • RACs: Status updates on SRC development
    • Are there RACs that have approved an SRC? Region 2 does
    • Are there any SRCs that have scheduled meetings? Yes, in Region 2
  • RAC Communications
    • SRC roll-out by March 2025
    • Communication Goal #3 - RAC membership feedback by February 28, 2025
  • What are the strategies for this goal in FY 2025?
    • Once protocols are established, convene a forum for all stakeholders to review the protocols. Invite educators, hospitals (both ED and inpatient psychiatric programs), PSAPs, law enforcement, MCRT, community behavioral health providers, EMS.
    • Develop a flow chart for each call that directs how the call is handled from 911 to receiving care.
    • Identify a plan for EMS response when a patient who was voluntary for placement into an inpatient psychiatric unit experiences an escalation in the severity of symptoms/behaviors while in the ambulance during transport to the hospital.
  • What are reasonable metrics to measure this goal?
    • Finding out how many times the same person is being transported to the hospital within the same day or week and finding out the outcome (identifying the status whether voluntary or involuntary, how many are admitted into inpatient psych programs).
    • Finding out how many times 911 is being called by or about the same person.
    • Identifying what services are offered to callers on calls that come into 911 but are not transferred to 988.
    • Identifying how many calls made directly to 988 need 911 services instead or in addition.
  • What are ways to understand if we are making progress?
    • Get feedback from callers, community providers, hospitals, law enforcement, PSAPs, EMS through surveys provided at intervals.
  • What can your RAC membership and Subregional Committee(s) do to contribute to realizing this goal?
    • Hold a forum for stakeholders to inform about the finalized protocols.
    • Share expectations with stakeholders about how community members can access behavioral health treatment services (sharing the flow chart mentioned above).
    • Develop the survey mentioned above, send it, and report the results.
  • Next Steps- Pilot readiness schedule
    • January 7, 2025 - meeting convened with PowerPhone PSAP administrators
    • January 13, 2025 - meeting with MCRT Project Directors & Centerstone 988 (PowerPhone)
    • January 14, 2025 - meeting with MCRT Project Directors(Priority Dispatch and APCO)
    • TBD early February 2025- meeting with PSAP administrators
  • Questions
    • Due to recording error, conversation was unintelligible

Next Meeting Dates:

  • February 18, 2025
  • March 18, 2025
  • April 15, 2025
  • May 20, 2025
  • June 17, 2025

Public Comment: no public comment

Adjournment: Meeting adjourned by Co-Chair Julie Brugger at 11:00.