BISMARCK, N.D. (NewsDakota.com) – 911 callers can now be transferred directly to 988 thanks to a recent integration with State Radio and 988.

For those distressed callers who are not a threat to themselves or others, Public Safety Telecommunicators with State Radio can now transfer the caller directly to 988 for specialized mental and emotional support.

Previously, Public Safety Telecommunicators would either dispatch an ambulance or officer or could encourage the caller to hang up and call 988.

“It takes a lot of courage for them to reach out. We don’t want to risk losing the caller on the line,” says Deputy Director of State Radio Miranda Jangula. “And an ambulance or an officer is not always needed in these situations, sometimes people just want to talk. This is a great resource for us to get the right help to people at the right time.”

State Radio Public Safety Telecommunicators will request permission to transfer the caller to 988 and can brief the 988 staff member before placing the transfer.

Other public safety answering points that have the ability to transfer 911 to 988 include Fargo Red River Dispatch, Barnes County Dispatch, Grand Forks County Dispatch, and Richland County Dispatch.

State Radio is the state-wide dispatching center that serves state agencies and 26 counties in North Dakota.