SM-22-015 Individual Grant Awards 2022

The Washington National Suicide Prevention Lifeline (NSPL) crisis center capacity expansion project will provide behavioral health workforce capacity and services that are culturally, geographically, and linguistically specialized and relevant for people in Washington who experience a behavioral health crisis. Data-driven efforts have led to the creation of the first Washington Indian Behavioral Health Hub and Tribal Crisis Line and chat/text service provision in Washington state; however, additional capacity is needed to provide additional relevant services to the communities we serve, and to ensure capacity can scale at the same rate as call, chat and text volume due to 9-8-8 implementation. Although Washington provides full geographic primary coverage, we rely on out-of-state NSPL centers to provide backup. With a projected (per Vibrant, medium call estimates) of 156,100 calls handled in year 1 and up to 424,600 calls handled in year 5, and significant behavioral health provider shortages, Washington must be creative in order to fund and sustain capacity. With this funding, Washington NSPL member centers will work to increase their staffing capacity to 100.0 FTE, establish a student intern program and follow-up program, and develop in-house training capacity to help develop the Behavioral Health workforce and recruit and retain employees. The project team, which includes members from the Department of Health, all three Washington NSPL member centers, Health Care Authority and Washington 911, will work together to plan for capacity building, sustaining, and service coordination. Over the course of the project years the team will submit Washington's quality improvement plan, plan for chat/text service expansion, sustainability plan for member center workforce capacity and meeting key performance indicators, and the centers will develop their follow-up programs, student intern programs, and training and professional development plans. The team will evaluate monthly, quarterly and annual data including the Network's key performance indicator data to identify solutions to address capacity challenges. This team has strong working relationships and has collaborated on initial technology planning and previous preparation efforts for 9-8-8 implementation (ie. via a coalition funded by Vibrant Emotional Health). The Washington state team is prepared to initiate work, if funded, without delay. Contract amendments are ready to pass at minimum 85% of the funding allocation to the three NSPL member centers. The Department of Health is prepared to shift staffing FTE to ensure no delays occur due to hiring. Team members have laid important groundwork for planning efforts thus far and if funded, are excited to support capacity building efforts immediately.

The WI 988 Cooperative Agreement project will work to provide Wisconsin residents with in-state crisis phone, chat, and text counseling and intervention services. The State of Wisconsin Department of Health Services (DHS) plans to work with our current statewide Lifeline provider to meet or exceed a 90% in-state answer rate and improve response times to Wisconsinites using 988 through call, chat, or text. Wisconsin maintains its focus on a July 2022 rollout and the subsequent projected call volume increase. Therefore, the goals of this project are reflective of the need to support the existing Lifeline center and expand capacity. DHS will provide technical and monetary support from this grant to our established statewide Lifeline Center. This will provide resources to enhance the recruitment, hiring, and training of qualified behavioral health staff and provide a unified response to consumers. Successful implementation of 988 in Wisconsin will help to ensure that all Wisconsin residents, regardless of geographical area, have access to immediate communication with a trained counselor and connections to local crisis services. Wisconsin is home to approximately 5.9 million people. Wisconsin's overall population is 88% white, 7% African American, 3% Asian, and 1% American Indian/Alaska Native. Of that overall population, 7% is Hispanic, 22% is under the age of 18, and 18% is over the age of 65. Of Wisconsin's 72 counties, 65% are considered rural (non-metro). In addition, 10% of the population lives below the poverty line. In 2021, 36,497 calls were routed to Lifeline Centers in Wisconsin. Based on reports by Vibrant, the Lifeline administrator, Wisconsin has an impressively high in-state answer rate averaging between 85-90%. This grant will allow Wisconsin to maintain this high standard and prepare for and respond to the projected call, chat, and text increases expected in the coming years. DHS has an opportunity through this grant to set the stage for a successful 988 rollout in Wisconsin. Three primary and overarching goals of this project are: 1. Increase the capacity of the existing statewide Lifeline center to meet the projected volume increase by recruiting, hiring, and training behavioral health workers to respond and provide follow-up services to individuals experiencing a behavioral health crisis. 2. Improve coordination between the statewide Lifeline center and the larger crisis system, including county-based crisis programs and Public Safety Answering Points (PSAPs). 3. Assist the Lifeline center in the implementation of the Unified Platform. Personnel requirements for this project will be in kind and made up of staff within the Bureau of Prevention Treatment, and Recovery. Staff will include a Project Director, Project Supervisor, and Project Coordinator. Contracted staff will include the University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute, which will provide a Project Evaluator.

The West Virginia Bureau for Behavioral Health (BBH) will use 85% or more of this 988 Cooperative Agreement for subgrant award to First Choice Services (FCS), the state's single 24/7 call center for the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline, to build its workforce in preparation for the national launch of 988 in July 2022; increase its in-state call answer rate to 90% or more by June 15, 2022; add in-state chat and text responses in 2022; and meet other key performance indicators (KPIs). The remaining 15% or less of this grant will provide funding for a combined .3 FTE Project Director and .2 FTE Evaluator at BBH to ensure 988 grant goals, objectives, KPIs, and reporting requirements are met, including quality improvement, follow-up services, and sustainability planning for the call center and behavioral health crisis continuum of care.

The Wyoming 988 State and Territory Cooperative Agreement is an opportunity for the two Wyoming lifeline call centers, Central Wyoming Counseling Center and the Wyoming LifeLine, to enhance their workforce in order to meet upcoming demands of the 988 transition. The first priority is to bring the in-state answer rate up to 90 percent. The project will strengthen the call centers' capacity for suicide prevention as well as strengthen reporting and communication efforts between the call centers and the Wyoming Department of Health. To achieve the long-term goal of preparing state response to 988 contacts including calls, chats, and texts originating in Wyoming, the following goals have been outlined: Goal 1: Expand lifeline crisis center staff and response structure needed for successful implementation of 988 by June 15, 2022. Goal 2: Enhance planning efforts for the implementation of a new, national 988 number by March 30, 2023. Goal 3: Increase state capacity to meet 988 crisis contact demand by March 30, 2023. Through the development of a sustainability and implementation plan following the grant award, Wyoming is hopeful that the collaboration between the State, both lifeline centers, and other partners will also improve follow-up services, referral resources, and communication, as well as standardize data collection.