When Veterans Crisis Line calls lead to emergency 911 dispatches
Official title: A Multi-Method Examination of Veteran Crisis Line Emergency Dispatches
Funded at Syracuse VA Medical Center · NIH-11401622 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This project looks at how Veterans Crisis Line calls that trigger emergency dispatches affect veterans at high risk for suicide.
Quick facts
| Grant type | NIH-funded research |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Syracuse VA Medical Center NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Syracuse, United States) |
| Project start | March 1, 2021 |
| Project end | September 30, 2025 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| NIH project number | 5I01HX003236-03 |
| Project ID | NIH-11401622 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Ideal candidates are veterans who contacted the Veterans Crisis Line and who experienced or were at risk for an emergency 911 dispatch.
✕Less likely to help
Veterans who never call the Crisis Line or whose care never involves emergency dispatches are unlikely to be directly affected by this project.
What this research studies
The team will link Veterans Health Administration crisis-line records and VA clinical data to see whether calls that prompt emergency 911 dispatches relate to later treatment use and suicide outcomes. They will measure whether a dispatch is linked to entering treatment within 30 days and to suicide risk over the following year. The project also gathers veterans' and first responders' experiences with emergency dispatches through interviews or surveys to understand possible benefits and harms. Combining database analyses with personal reports will help clarify the real-world impact of dispatch decisions.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this work could help tailor crisis-line responses to reduce suicide deaths and improve timely treatment for veterans.
How similar studies have gone: Research directly linking crisis-line dispatches to outcomes is limited, so this multi-method approach is relatively novel though it builds on existing suicide-prevention research.
Where this research is happening
-
Syracuse VA Medical Center
Syracuse, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Britton, Peter C — Syracuse VA Medical Center
- Study coordinator: Britton, Peter C
About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page.