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The city of Columbus is rolling out a four-to-six-week pilot program on Monday that will help determine whether 911 calls need an emergency response by police and firefighter-medics or by others, such as social workers or clinicans who are better equipped to deal with mental health or substance abuse issues. For far too often and long, we ve asked police officers to be social workers, medics, Mayor Andrew J. Ginther said Friday during a news conference to announce what is being called the Alternative Response Pilot Program. The event was held at Columbus Public Health near Downtown.
A paramedic and Columbus Public Health clinician will be embedded in the city s 911 call center to help triage calls and determine whether police and fire should be responding to calls or someone else, said Columbus Fire Capt. Matt Parrish.
Mayor Andrew Ginther speaking at Columbus Public Health offices.
Columbus is trying out an alternative response program to steer some 911 calls away from the police.
City leaders have spent months trying to figure out how to tailor response so the right service providers show up after someone calls 911. Over the next six weeks, Columbus Mayor Andrew Ginther explains, they’ll be piloting a program to do just that.
“To make this happen, we will have a social worker or mental health nurse embedded in our 911 dispatch center to help triage and redirect calls,” Ginther said.
Erika Clark Jones, who heads up the county’s drug and mental health agency, ADAMH, said many of the calls that come in don’t require police response.
Ohio capital city to pilot non-emergency 911 response teams
May 14, 2021 GMT
COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) A pilot program in Ohio’s capital and largest city will test alternative responses to 911 callers suffering from mental health crises and addiction issues, Columbus Mayor Andrew Ginther announced Friday.
The four to six-week experiment will group a paramedic, public health clinician and dispatcher together to review the best response to non-emergency 911 calls, with such calls routed to the team as they come in.
The goal is a thoughtful and focused response to non-emergency situations, Ginther said.
“Far too often, and for too long, we’ve asked our police officers to be social workers, medics, and health workers,” Ginther said. “Instead, their focus should be on addressing and preventing violent crime in our neighborhoods. Asking our officers to be all things to all people hasn’t served them or our community well.”