Memphis' emergency services are now offering an explicit avenue to handle callers reporting a mental health crisis, offering what city officials are calling "the fourth option" to those calling 911.
When someone called 911 in the past, they were asked if they needed police, fireor emergency medical personnel to respond to an emergency. Callers will now be met with mental health assistance as a fourth option, allowing dispatchers to immediately assign trained mental health professionals to calls that need them.
"The fourth option recognizes something that's important: Not every emergency is the same," Memphis Mayor Paul Young said at an Aug. 26 press conference inside Memphis' emergency call center. "A person that's experiencing a mental health
crisis may need a different kind of response."
When a caller asks for mental health assistance, they will be asked a series of questions Young said will help a dispatcher better understand the situation and determine the best personnel to send.
The city handles around 25,000 emergency mental health calls annually, which includes suicides, overdoses and other incidents where crisis intervention team members are brought to, according to Memphis Fire Deputy Commander Sean Lovejoy.
But Lovejoy said the city has seen fewer emergency calls since its non-emergency mental health line, which can be reached by dialing 988, has come online.
By dialing 988, callers are connected to a counselor any time of day, seven days a week. The line is a sort of first response to the earliest signs of a mental health crisis, said Andy Britton, a 988 representative, during the press conference.
"If you're experiencing suicidal ideation, you can call. If you're having anxiety, if you're in mental distress, you can call for anything you want," Britton said. "We have the ability, with our trained counselors, to de-escalate your situation. And we can refer you to community partners as well."
The new 911 option for mental health emergencies required additional training for call center staff, which Memphis Fire Deputy Chief Lauren Farr said reflected about six hours of additional training. With that training, new protocols were instituted that require operators to identify why someone is calling and any surrounding circumstances to the crisis.
"It gives them the tools they need to build trust, engagement and rapport with the caller while they wait for responders to arrive," Farr said.
The Memphis Police Department and Memphis Fire Department encouraged people to call 911 in instances where a person has a serious medical emergency, is in the process of overdosing, is an "immediate threat to life or safety," or if the person is "violent, has a weapon, or may harm themselves or others."
They encouraged people experiencing mental or emotional distress, those seeking crisis counseling, those seeking emotional support, and those looking for behavioral health resources to dial 988.
Lucas Finton covers crime, policing, jails, the courts and criminal justice policy for The Commercial Appeal. He can be reached by phone or email: (901)208-3922 and Lucas.Finton@commercialappeal.com, and followed on X @LucasFinton.
This article originally appeared on Memphis Commercial Appeal: City of Memphis opens emergency mental health line for 911 callers
