Iowa Department of Health and Human Services receives $2.1M 988 and Behavioral Health Crisis Services Programs from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration

988 Iowa capacity building project - aligned with the Iowa Department Of Health And Human Services’ (Iowa HHS) mission to strengthen the health and resiliency of iowans, the 988 Iowa capacity building project will not only strengthen 988 services in Iowa but also support 988’s integration with Iowa’s behavioral health crisis system. The population of focus for the 988 Iowa capacity building project are iowans at risk for suicide or overdose, iowans who need higher levels of care including mobile response, and iowans who are in a behavioral health crisis and need someone to contact. This project aims to reduce suicidal ideation, suicide attempts, and deaths by suicide or overdose statewide. Iowa has two 988 centers that provide 24/7 call, chat, and text services. 988 serves as a critical access point for Iowa’s behavioral health crisis system, providing warm handoffs to all mobile crisis teams and direct referrals to state-certified certified community behavioral health clinics. However, the 988 centers are not yet fully integrated with Iowa’s broader behavioral health system, including mobile response dispatch, crisis stabilization and substance use treatment services. Enhanced integration will reduce suicide risk during care transitions ensuring more seamless, consistent, and person-centered crisis response across Iowa’s systems of care. Iowa HHS will continue to contract with Iowa’s 988 centers to build capacity to answer 988 calls, chats, and texts. Iowa will maintain and expand work completed during the previous 988 capacity building cooperative agreement to answer 90% of Iowa contacts to 988 and connect individuals entering Iowa’s behavioral health system through 988 with additional support and services including mobile crisis response and substance use treatment. Implementing a centralized mobile crisis team dispatch model from 988 will increase connection to local crisis care and standardize dispatch protocols including the use of law enforcement. Utilizing a centralized resource and referral system will increase the connection between the centers and community-based crisis services, substance use services, and ccbhcs. Expanding 988 follow-up services to include individuals who have experienced an overdose event or are at risk of overdose, and to ensure that individuals referred to other crisis services or higher levels of care receive the appropriate supports will increase the number of iowans receiving extended support from 988.