Friday, May 3, 2024
5/3/2024
Guam Behavioral Health and Wellness Center (GBHWC), the applicant organization, is home to the island's only 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline center. Guam's 988 Lifeline has morphed from a local number answered by on-shift nurses in crisis stabilization units to a formally recognized National Suicide Prevention Lifeline (NSPL) center on January 11, 2021. Through federal funding, GBHWC has been able to maintain operations by staffing the lifeline with full/part-time employees and volunteers. The Lifeline was absorbed and transformed into the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline in July 2022. Since the start of 2023, Guam's Lifeline has received an average of 200 calls/month and has maintained an average answer rate of approximately 90%. The Guam Lifeline does not currently provide chat or text functionality, and there is a strong need for both workforce development and infrastructure upgrades to allow for these services. Currently, staff have the capacity to provide referrals to local resources, and the positive relationships between the 988 Lifeline and GBHWC crisis services allow for proper transitions of care. Still, Follow up care continues to wane. For the months of Nov. 2022-Jan. 2023, only 55% of Lifeline callers eligible for follow-up calls were offered a follow-up call. GBHWC's Mobile Crisis Response Team (MCRT) is the island's sole mobile crisis unit. The Lifeline has worked alongside the MCRT since its inception in June 2022 and will continue its collaborations. Through a structured follow-up process, Lifeline staff can connect with individuals with suicide ideations on a more regular basis, mitigating the need for other services on the crisis continuum. Funding will be utilized to support the following goals: 1. Develop and implement improved follow-up protocols for suicidal individuals who contact the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline and provide enhanced coordination with the CBHWC Crisis Stabilization Units and MCRT. 2. Improve relationships with Guam Memorial Hospital, Guam Police Department, and Guam Fire Department to enhance the continuity of care by continual engagement post-initial 988 contacts for individuals who are at risk of suicide. 3. Improve connection with high-risk populations. Developing infrastructure for follow-up policy and procedures will force great strides and improvements in the overall service delivery for the crisis continuum of care, paving the way for increased access to services and a reduction in local suicide rates.
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).
