Managing Mental Health Crisis Calls Received by a US Poison Center: A Statewide Collaboration Between the Georgia Poison Center, 911, and 988.

Dernbach, Matthew Robert; Hon, Stephanie; Lopez, Gaylord; Kaslow, Nadine J; Carpenter, Joseph E; Tanner, Kevin; Rucker-Wright, Aleisha; Peel, Dawn et al. · Am J Public Health · 2025

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Abstract

The Georgia Poison Center developed a protocol for managing mental health crisis cases via iterative feedback with Georgia 911-related emergency medical services and Georgia 988-related mental health services. The Georgia Poison Center managed 533 such cases in 2024 (the year of protocol implementation), of which 45 (8.4%) were transferred to 911. Our study demonstrates that emergency services can effectively develop statewide collaborations to improve mental health outcomes and that poison centers have a vital role in national suicide prevention efforts. (<i>Am J Public Health</i>. 2025;115(11):1814-1817. https://doi.org/10.2105/AJPH.2025.308229).

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