CESSA - Training and Education Subcommittee Meeting - Approved Minutes 03/25/2025

Meeting Minutes

Via Zoom

The meeting was called to order by Cindy Barbera-Brelle at 10:32 a.m., who reviewed the OMA procedures, meeting logistics, and agenda.

Roll Call

• Present: Robert "Bobby" Van Bebber, Michelle Churchey-Mims (Designee for Blanca Campos), Cindy Barbera-Brelle, Jessica Gimeno (Designee for Candace Coleman), Tanya Thorne (formerly known as Cooley) (Designee for David Albert), Rachael Ahart
• Absent: Emily Miller

Motion to Approve Minutes from February 25, 2025

• Michelle Churchey-Mims moved to approve the minutes; Robert Van Bebber seconded the motion.
• Approved by: Bobby Van Bebber, Michelle Churchey-Mims, Cindy Barbera-Brelle, Jessica Gimeno, Tanya Thorne, and Rachael Ahart
• Motion passes.

Old Business #1: Pilot Core Training Updates (Terry Solomon)

• As of March 19, 2025
  • 774 unduplicated individuals have completed the pilot training
  • 3,650 people have taken pilot training courses
  • 26 individuals have requested exemptions, and 18 have received exemptions. Some were not approved because they did not have the correct documentation, or it was not within 12 months.
• Cumulative Number of Participants Attending Each Pilot Core Training as of March 19, 2025:
  • The green bars represent the additional increase in course completions.
• Cumulative Number of Participants Attending Each Pilot Core Training by Provider as of March 19, 2025:
  • We think we are reaching the population we intended with each training.
• Revised De-escalation training for the PSAPs
  • We will not, at this time, include mental health scenarios that reflect the warm hand-off of calls in the de-escalation training.
  • Behavioral Health Crisis Hub staff had the opportunity to observe a CIT Training for Telecommunicators, which will inform us about the revised training.
  • The replacement course, originally scheduled to be available by January 31st, has been delayed allowing Crisis Hub staff to research content for courses and simulation training for telecommunicators. We anticipate distributing the revised training by mid-May to allow PSAPs to retake the training.

Old Business #2: Learning Management System - Articulate 360 Demonstration

• Dr. Terry Solomon demonstrated the system features, including interactive content, pre-tests, knowledge checks, videos, the agenda on the side, and the post-test.
• Dr. Terry Solomon noted that a learner would not be able to fast-forward or skip content
• Discussion:
  • Jessica Gimeno: I like the real-life example.
  • Tanya Thorne: I really like that the knowledge checks are dispersed throughout.
  • Cindy Barbara-Brelle: The system seems straightforward, and the knowledge checks are important.
  • Dr. Terry Solomon: We will add closed captioning and ensure ADA compliance.

Old Business #3 (on agenda) / New Business (on PowerPoint): Proposed Revisions to the Core Training Plan

• Cindy Barbara-Brelle: To follow up from the last meeting, we'd like to get your input on these questions:
  • 1. Should Mobile Crisis Response Teams be required to complete the core training before engaging in crisis intervention services?
  • 2. Should PSAPs be required to complete the core training before answering calls?
  • 3. Should 988 be required to complete the core training before answering calls?
  • 4. When should current staff be required to complete the trainings?
  • 5. New Cohorts (After the Pilots are Evaluated):
    • Recommendation 1: New PSAP and MCRT cohorts will have at least 60 days to complete the training before implementation.
    • Recommendation 2: New PSAP and MCRT staff members will complete the core training within 60 days of their start date.
• #1 Should Mobile Crisis Response Teams (MCRTs) be required to complete the core training before engaging in crisis intervention services?
  • Tanya Thorne: I would say that core training is required before they see someone.
  • Jessica Gimeno: I agree.
  • Sarah Ferguson: Is the committee recommending that this requirement apply to existing staff on DMH-funded MCRTs in the field?
  • Cindy Barbera-Brelle: MCRTs have been responding? Then they have already received some level of training. I don't think you want to pull that service back, but you want to have some training. If they are new employees, then part of their onboarding should be done before they go into the field.
  • Michelle Churchey-Mims: I agree regarding not pulling back. I feel like we talked about a timeline regarding those that are in the field.
• #2 Should PSAPs be required to complete the core training before answering calls?
  • Rachael Ahart: We can't have PSAPs not answer calls and put that on hold until the training is completed, so potentially a timeline for this one as well.
  • Cindy Barbera Brelle: As we are onboarding new employees, do we want to say they can't answer phones until this core training is completed? We should have two different guidance steps. I agree with the PSAP staff who are already answering calls; they should complete it within a timeframe and still answer calls. We could look at it two ways: someone who answered calls at a past PSAP versus someone new to the field could have different timing.
  • Tanya Thorne: For the core trainings, are they still allowed take it if they have an exemption?
    • Dr. Terry Solomon: Yes
  • Tanya Thorne: We don't want to pull existing employees out, but we have exemptions and a timeline that allows them to take them if they don't have an exemption. Then, for new employees that are coming on, they would take those core trainings before they take phone calls or go into the field.
• #3 Should 988 be required to complete the core training before answering calls?
  • Cindy Barbera-Brelle: We could apply the process from #2 to #3 as well.
  • Rachael Ahart: I agree.
  • Sarah Ferguson: So, for the next steps, we will want to vet this with state partners, for example DHS and HFS, so we will bring you a written version of this policy at the next meeting, either for review if its not been vetted, or for vote if it has been vetted.
• #4 When should current staff be required to complete the trainings?
  • Cindy Barbera-Brelle: We've taken care of that. We need a timeline
• #5 New Cohorts (After the Pilots are Evaluated):
  • Recommendation 1: New PSAP and MCRT cohorts will have at least 60 days to complete the training before implementation.
  • Recommendation 2: New PSAP and MCRT staff members will complete the core training within 60 days of their start date.
  • Dr. Terry Solomon: This is a different question because it's a team.
  • Cindy Barbera-Brelle: The Total Response pilot is in the works and moving, and when its finished there will be an evaluation. After that, we'd roll it out to other Total Response PSAPs. With Recommendation #1, any new PSAPs with Total Response and corresponding MCRTs would have a 60 days window to get their trainings completed and then they'd begin their transfers to 988.
  • Michelle Churchey-Mims: Are we focused on 590 MCRTs?
    • Cindy Barbere-Brelle: Yes, because we don't have a legislative requirement for agencies that are not 590s. We may want an attorney to look at that, and we can discuss it at our state call on Thursday.
• Rachael Ahart: If we want them to do the training before they transfer to 988, in those 60 days, is there a reason we wouldn't want them to transfer them if they have their ability?
  • • Cindy Barbera-Brelle: In the pilots, the PSAPs are not going live until they complete the training. Some pilots are so large they haven't been able to be trained on time
    • Cindy Barbera-Brelle: It's cleaner to say that during the rollout, you are next up, here's the overview of what we did with the pilots, here's the training,
    • Rachael Ahart: Is the 60 day training reflective of the pilot's timeframe?
      • Cindy Barbera-Brelle: Yes, Total Response didn't have a problem. Priority Dispatch is because some of them have 80 staff. I don't anticipate an issue with APCO because there's only a dozen smaller PSAPs. We will have to be mindful about making sure they have enough time.
  • Michelle Churchey-Mims: Before implementation of what?
    • Cindy Barbera-Brelle: Before they transfer mental health calls to 988. For example, we will have maybe five Total Response PSAPs where we'd give them an orientation, and they'd complete the training by a start date in which they'd transfer to 988.
  • Recommendation 1 is before implementation, so before their transfer calls
  • Recommendation 2 is if a new hire has to complete it within 60 days.
  • Dr. Terry Solomon: Recommendation 2 is different because it's for a team.
  • Dr. Terry Solomon: That's fine. We can use the plan from the previous page for items 1,2, and 3 for 60 days.
  • Tanya Thorne: Did we talk last time about that? They'd have 60 days, or they have to complete this first. They had to complete the core training within 60 days, and they could go out or take calls, whichever is sooner, when they completed the training.
  • Heather Butler: Sometimes telecommunicators are in training for 6-9 months under the supervision of the CTO. Could there be a clause that new telecommunicators take calls under the CTO's supervision as long as the CTO has taken the training? The party responsible depends on the center. My recommendation is that during the training process, they can take calls under the supervision of the CTO.
  • Rachael Ahart: This idea of looking at having PSAPs and MCRTs trained versus the 60 days of start date, or 60 days before someone doing this work. I'm wondering if it couldn't just be combined. Can we focus on the people doing the work and implementing this have to be trained, so if there is a PSAP training two supervisors and 4 staff, once they are trained, they can begin implementing, and then additional staff can be trained. If we have to look at it as a full group, are we saying you cannot start this until every single employee is trained? What would that look like if there were an outlier
    • Picking up on the supervisor, maybe there could be language about independent calls not being allowed to allow for that hands-on training process that does exist for MCRTs doing field learning and for the call-takers
    • You may have to define supervision, to make sure its not independent work that is being reviewed.
• Rachael Ahart: Last time the proposed timeline was six to nine months. What is that timeline from and how is it different from today?
  • Dr. Terry Solomon: Based on our last meeting, we gave that feedback to Crisis Hub. Today, are presenting the proposal to you to finalize recommendations to review with the Crisis Hub team, DMH and HFS.

Meeting Calendar

• Tuesday, April 22, 10:30 am -12 pm
• Tuesday, May 27, 10:30 am -12 pm
• Tuesday, June 24, 10:30 am -12 pm

Public Comment: No hands raised.

Adjournment

• Rachael Ahart motioned. Michelle Churchey-Mims seconded.
• Approved by: Bobby Van Bebber, Michelle Churchey-Mims, Cindy Barbera-Brelle, Jessica Gimeno, Tanya Thorne, and Rachael Ahart.
• Motion approved. Meeting adjourned at 11:29 am.