SC Discretionary Funding Fiscal Year 2023

Through the 988 State and Territory Improvement Grant, South Carolina's (SC) Hope4SC grant initiative (988Hope) will focus on improving SC's response to 988 contacts (including calls, chats, and texts) originating in the state/territory. The goals of this project include enhancing the SC 988 infrastructure to increase answer rates, call care quality, and care transitions and implementing additional technology and security measures to fully support 988 infrastructures beyond the life of this grant and effective coordination across the crisis care continuum. This project will have a data-driven approach to improve 988 contacts in SC, as well as coordination with 911 and Mobile Crisis. The project will increase the workforce to ensure SC has an answer rate of 90% or higher for calls, chats, and texts. Including a focus on expanding MOUs between 988 call centers and 911 Public Safety Answering Points (PSAP), and Mobile Crisis, including leading a crisis care continuum collaborative involving Mobile Crisis, 911, and 988. Improvements around SC's follow-up care, data collection, communication plan, and referral policies will also be key points of this project. 988Hope is committed to strengthening 988 to improve crisis support for the people of SC. As of May 2023, SC answered 67% of calls, 34% of chants, and 31% of texts originating from the state. This grant will assist SC in improving its capacity to answer the steadily increasing calls, chat, and text contacts. 988Hope4SC (988Hope) expects to serve 45,000 people in year one, 50,000 in year two, and 55,000 in year three with a total of 150,000 people served over the life of the grant.

The Catawba Nation in partnership with South Carolina's 988 Lifeline Crisis Center, will establish its 988NativeHealth Program to serve Catawba adults who are in crisis and struggling with mental health and substance use disorders. We are known for our work to rebuild community and for providing programs and services that reinforce our belief that mind, body, and spirit are all connected to health and well-being. However, the Catawba Nation has no programs that directly connect it to South Carolina's 24-7, 988 Lifeline Crisis Center or that provide it's crisis counselors, local police, and direct care providers with training that specifically addresses the needs of our tribal citizens. The establishment of 988NativeHealth will provide the opportunity for us to collaborate. Full abstract in attachments.

The Clemson University: Upstate South Carolina Mental Health and Sport Initiative brings Mental Health First Aid, NAMI Ending the Silence and supplemental mental health awareness training to athletes, parents and coaches of youth sport clubs in Upstate SC. The program will change the culture around mental health in youth sport by increasing mental health knowledge, reducing stigma, encouraging help-seeking behavior and promoting improved mental health. This initiative will serve 1500 individuals in 5 years, with 150 youth athletes receiving NAMI Ending the Silence training and 150 parents and coaches from the sport clubs receiving Mental Health First Aid Training each year. Additionally, all participants will be provided access to a mental health paraprofessional embedded within the sport club and to referrals to professional mental health care providers in Upstate SC for further support. The initiative will be brought to teams of 13-19-year-old female and male athletes from Upstate SC. The adult participants in the program will be coaches of the selected youth teams or parents with athletes on those teams, with the aim of having as many athletes as possible with at least one parent involved. Additional demographics will reflect the diversity found amongst the youth across the counties of Upstate SC, including a variety of races, ethnicities and socioeconomic statuses, with special focus in the project on ensuring mental health support for underserved populations vulnerable to health disparities. In an effort to continue to bring the youth sport community of Upstate SC together in a unified way to address the challenges of mental health in the Upstate, an Upstate South Carolina Mental Health and Sport Coalition will be formed with stakeholders from the sport clubs, Clemson University and mental health care providers in the area involved. GOALS AND OBJECTIVES: Program goals and objectives are designed to: • Train individuals within youth sport clubs in Upstate South Carolina (USC) to recognize the signs and symptoms of mental disorders by providing evidence-based mental health awareness training (MHAT) to athletes, coaches and parents. • Improve the culture surrounding mental health (MH) in youth sport clubs in USC by increasing athlete, coach and parent knowledge about MH, and improving attitudes that promote recognition and/or appropriate help-seeking behaviors. • Increase the capacity of youth sport clubs in USC to assist with the improvement of the overall mental health status of its members. • Increase the capacity of youth sport clubs in USC to engage and educate individuals about resources available in the community for individuals with a mental health disorder. • Increase the involvement of youth sport clubs in USC in long-term sustainability of providing MHAT through youth sport clubs.