WL WELL VHS Develops The 988 Municipal Suicide and Mental Health Emergency Dispatch System To Assist Cities with their 988 Mental Health Emergency Hotlines

POMPANO BEACH, Fla. , March 29, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- WL WELL VHS (Virtual Healthcare Services) the Pompano Beach, Florida based Virtual Healthcare Technology company has completed development of their '988' Municipal Suicide and Mental Health Emergency Dispatch System just in time for cities across the United States to be in compliance with the National Suicide Hotline Designation Act of 2020. The NSHDA designated '988' as the national suicide and mental health emergency hotline number. Cities have until mid July 2022 to have their systems in operation. However, most are unprepared.

"The 988 hotline was a long time coming. The hardest part for us was developing a system that compelled cities to consider the needs and safety of the general public as equal to or greater than their desire to limit liability; and then getting them to accept it. What we created is a response-centric system that elevates, prioritizes, and decriminalizes the behaviors of persons with latent or diagnosed mental illnesses."

The WL WELL VHS 988 system is designed to work independently or in collaboration with the company's existing Emergency Services Beacon (ESB); found on the WL WELL VHS mobile app. The ESB allows mental health responders to receive mental health emergency calls that bypass police involvement. The WL WELL VHS 988 system allows operators/counselors to receive mental health emergency calls through the new 988 hotline and transmit them, if necessary, to waiting mental health responders in the community. Call information is also transmitted to available Crisis Intervention Team (CIT) Officers through their Mobile Data Terminals (MDT) to help stage responder arrivals.

One in four calls to 911 are mental health related. However, even with the introduction of the 988 hotline, cities must utilize systems and procedures that treat mental health emergencies as a form of medical emergency. Our dispatch system does just that. As a byproduct, we assist communities with regaining trust in local law enforcement."

WL WELL VHS is a Virtual Healthcare Technology Company with a primary focus on eradicating healthcare inequalities faced by BIPOC and Rural Communities. WL WELL VHS  is available for free download and can be found in the Apple App Store and Google Play Store.

SOURCE WL WELL, LLC