ROCHESTER — Olmsted County officials want to restructure how mobile mental health crisis response is handled in the county next year, no matter if the original call for help was placed to 911 or 988, the national suicide prevention hotline. Earlier this week, the Health, Housing and Human Services Committee heard from James Johnson, administrator for Olmsted County’s Health, Housing and Human Services division, who sought the committee's input on the plan. Minnesota statute requires that counties and tribal organizations provide mobile mental health crisis intervention services 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
Zumbro Valley Health Center provides that 24/7 service through a contract with the county. Currently, when an Olmsted County resident contacts the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline, their call, text or online chat will most likely be answered by a crisis counselor at First Call for Help of Itasca County in Grand Rapids. If a mobile crisis responder is needed, Zumbro Valley provides that service.
First Call for Help received 564 988 calls from Olmsted County in 2023, and 94 of those calls were transferred to Zumbro Valley mobile crisis staff. Last year, those mobile crisis workers also responded to 590 dispatches for people who called the Southeast Regional Crisis Center's 1-844-274-7472 helpline. ADVERTISEMENT However, Johnson said if the call for help for a mental or behavioral health crisis comes through 911 and a face-to-face response is needed, the county's commun.
