Telephone Answering Services

The Vendor is required to provide the answering service is experiencing difficulty preventing them from providing after-hours service as stipulated, they must notify the designated on-call therapist for the mental health clinic, alcohol and substance abuse services immediately.
- Mental Health Clinic from 5:00 p.m. to 8:30a.m. Monday and Friday; 7:30 p.m. to 8:30 a.m. on Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday; all weekends; County holidays; and emergency closures (ex. snow days, safety drills). On Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday between 5:00 p.m. to 7:30 p.m., the phones will be answered by staff at the Clinic. In the event of an emergency call, the call will be forwarded to the answering service to contact the on-call person, following all urgent call procedures.
- Alcohol and Substance Abuse Services from 5:00 p.m. to 8:30a.m. Monday and Friday; 7:30 p.m. to 8:30 a.m. on Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday; all weekends; County holidays; and emergency closures (ex. snow days, safety drills). On Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday between 5:00 p.m. to 7:30 p.m., the phones will be answered by staff at the Clinic. In the event of an emergency call, the call will be forwarded to the answering service to contact the on-call person, following all urgent call procedures.
- When the answering service is experiencing service difficulty during the Mental Health Clinic’s normal working hours, they must alert Administration immediately.
- The answering service currently handles approximately 600 calls per month for all programs and staff covered. 
- These calls include: clients and providers needing to reach on-call emergently; clients and providers call to leave messages to cancel appointments; and on-call staff reporting their whereabouts or reporting going on or off the beeper. 
- There is one person on call each day for the Mental Health Clinic and Alcoholism and Substance Abuse Services.
- The answering service will obtain the name and telephone number of the caller, and when the caller indicates an emergency, will immediately contact the appropriate on-call staff member with this information.