Thursday, May 2, 2024
5/2/2024
Rhode Island's (RI) 988 Connect to Care project is designed to serve the entire state, by expanding the RI 988 Lifeline Center ability to answer calls, texts, and chats to the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline. Goals of the project focus on increased access, workforce development, education, and data collection quality improvement. Project planning efforts will rely on stakeholder collaboration, coordination throughout the statewide crisis care continuum, and integration into the buildout of the Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinic (CCBHC) model in Rhode Island. Since 2019, the RI 988 contact center has served over 10,000 Rhode Islanders through call, text, and chat services, an average of 2,200 individuals annually. Almost half (45%) of these contacts occurred after the July 2022 launch of 988. We aim to serve a total of 20,000 Rhode Islanders during this grant period. Individuals experiencing a mental health or substance use crisis, seeking a referral for behavioral health services, or seeking other information/resources make up a majority of 988 contacts, 77%, 2%, and 8%, respectively. Additionally, target populations include people of color, individuals identifying as LGBTQ+, men, and middle-aged individuals, all of whom experience a greater risk of suicide in RI. In order to promote cultural competency, an enhanced training program will be offered to 988 crisis counselors. This training program includes trainings relating to working with special populations such as LGBTQ+groups, Indigenous/Tribal affiliated individuals, and various other populations. Strategies to achieve our goals of increasing access and capacity to serve through 988 focus on workforce augmentation, formalized recruitment and retention program building, and enhanced training initiatives. Communications strategies include launching a community-reviewed campaign, and community engagement grass-roots efforts that can enhance the reputation of 988 and build trust with hard-to-reach populations. Improved data collection efforts will allow for enhanced service levels and inform quality assurance and improvement measures. Goal 1. Provide immediate access to crisis intervention and support. 1.1) By the end of Y3, 90% of texts will be routed and answered in-state; 1.2) By the end of Y3, 90% of chats will be routed and answered in-state 1.3) By the end of Y3, less than 20% of individuals enrolled in follow-up services will report a suicide attempt since their initial contact. Goal 2: Expand workforce capacity through improved recruitment, retention, and training. 2.1) Within two weeks of hiring, 100% of crisis counselors will complete the required Lifeline counselor training 2.2) By the end of Y1, 80% of counselors will complete at least one cultural competency training 2.3) By end of Y1, perform at least 6 employee retention activities 2.4) By the end of Y3, onboard at least one contact center intern. Goal 3: Educate Rhode Islanders on 988, what services it provides, and when to call 988. 3.1) By the end of Y3, launch a statewide public awareness campaign that reaches 75% of Rhode Islanders 3.2) By the end of Y3, conduct at least 360 outreach activities. Goal 4: Enhance contact center data collection and quality improvement. 4.1) By the end of Y1, 100% of eligible contacts will be asked to complete the end-of-call demographic survey 4.2) By the end of Y3, 90% of eligible contacts will receive three follow-up attempts.
HHS’ Tracking Accountability in Government Grants System (TAGGS) website provides access to detailed descriptions of grants, loans, aggregated direct payments and other types of financial assistance awarded by the HHS Operating Divisions (OPDIVs) and the Office of the Secretary Staff Divisions (STAFFDIVs).
