Guam officials report high 988 de-escalation rates and mobile crisis team diversions amid funding uncertainty

Jesse Libby, project director for Guam's 988 Lifeline, told the legislature on June 3 that Guam's local 988 call center consistently exceeds national in-state answer-rate benchmarks and that about 97% of incoming calls are de‑escalated at the crisis-center level without transfer to mobile crisis teams or emergency services. Libby said the 988 program is currently 100% federally funded through two SAMHSA grants that are scheduled to sunset at the end of the fiscal year; the center plans to reapply for future grant cohorts.

Libby described how 988 callers can reach the center by call, text or chat and be routed to local specialists; the center also routes veterans to the veterans crisis line. He emphasized that the local call center provides culturally grounded support and serves as the activation point for the Mobile Crisis Response Team (MCRT), allowing a warm handoff when callers need in-person intervention.

Joshua Pangalinan, care coordinator for MCRT, outlined team operations: current hours run 7 a.m. to 11:30 p.m. with day and swing shifts and a minimum deployment of two responders per activation. Based on the data presented, MCRT reported 213 activations since June 2024 with 162 safe resolutions and 51 requiring higher intervention requiring police or fire involvement. Later cumulative figures cited in the hearing placed total activations this fiscal year at 308, with 232 safe resolutions and 76 needing higher intervention; agency staff attributed the discrepancy to differing reporting windows and data extracts.

Deputy Director James Cooperners estimated financial benefits from diversion: using an approximate $4,000 average emergency-department visit cost (including medical transport) and the 162 safe resolutions figure, he calculated roughly $668,000 in avoided ED costs tied to MCRT activity. All three officials credited colocation of 988 and MCRT and interagency agreements with the Guam Police Department and Guam Fire Department for improving crisis response and reducing ED and law-enforcement burden.

Officials warned that while 988 and MCRT provide critical diversion and stabilization services, several of the programs that support the crisis continuum rely on federal funds that are at risk of reduction; they urged legislative support to sustain services while grant applications and other funding options are pursued.