A pilot program in Alabama is giving top callers into the 911 system iPads in the hopes of rerouting unnecessary calls, connecting desperate people to immediate health advice, and reducing government spending on non-urgent emergency room trips.
As part of the effort, the 50 most frequent 911 callers in the Mobile area, some of whom are known to have called for emergency transport to the hospital 10 or more times in a single year, will get tablets for six months that can connect them 24/7 to clinicians within the AltaPointe health system.
Dr. Cindy Gipson, AltaPointe’s crisis and justice services director, told NBC 15 the program is designed to aid callers who might have mental health or poverty-related challenges that would be best served by something other than a 911 call requiring costly ambulance transport…