Strengthening Crisis Response Through 9-1-1 and 9-8-8 Interoperability

Cal Jenkins, MS, is assistant director of research and evaluation for the Clear Pathways Initiative. In this role, she leads the Initiative’s 9-1-1 and 9-8-8 efforts. This includes conducting a 9-1-1 call system assessment, developing an interoperability strategy and directing the Crisis Response Pilot to test this strategy in Ohio communities. Jenkins collaborates with both subject matter experts and local partners to implement and evaluate the pilot. She presents this work to national audiences focused on improving crisis response. Prior to her work in Ohio, Jenkins acted as an assistant and coordinator at the Meadows Mental Health Policy Institute. She provided technical assistance for emergency room and jail diversion programs, including Texas’ first multidisciplinary response team. Jenkins holds a BA and MS in criminology from The University of Texas at Dallas, graduating magna cum laude. During her studies, she served as the president of both the Black Student Alliance and the Criminal Justice Honor Society. 

Robin Lindquist-Grantz, PhD, LISW-S, is a senior researcher at Mathematica. In addition to her work with Clear Pathways, she leads a qualitative study to understand the factors leading to parental substance use and involvement with the child welfare system. She co-leads an evaluation advisory panel for a federal evaluation of the Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinics model. She serves as the deputy project director for a summative evaluation of a service model to prevent homelessness among youth and young adults involved in the child welfare system. Before joining Mathematica, Lindquist-Grantz helped state and local agencies use performance measures to track their progress, design continuous quality improvement processes to support program implementation and utilize program evaluation to assess outcomes. Lindquist-Grantz conducted the first multi-site evaluation of Ohio’s Quick Response Team deflection model that uses collaborations between first responders and behavioral health providers to divert individuals who use substances from the criminal justice system and into treatment. She served as a research advisor for the Youth Council for Suicide Prevention at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center. She is an expert in participatory research approaches that equitably engage community members, program staff and agency leaders in all stages of the research process. She has a PhD from the University of Cincinnati and is a licensed independent social worker in Ohio.