Felton 988 Crisis Center Follow-Up Improvement Project - Felton Institute's Felton 988 program requests funding to expand and formalize systematic follow-up services for individuals who contact the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline, are discharged after a behavioral health crisis, or are affected by a suicide loss in San Mateo and San Francisco Counties, California. The project will build a closed-loop continuum of care connecting crisis response, postvention, and long-term behavioral health services; expand follow-up staffing; standardize evidence-informed protocols; and formalize partnerships with hospitals, mobile crisis teams, and community providers. Felton 988 will provide follow-up — including risk assessment, safety planning, and care coordination — for a minimum of 90 days, up to 12 months, to individuals at elevated suicide risk, improving continuity between crisis intervention and ongoing treatment. Geographic area and capacity development needs: Felton 988 is the local 988 network center for San Mateo and San Francisco Counties, and also provides 24/7 regional backup coverage for Santa Clara, Alameda, Contra Costa, San Luis Obispo, Santa Cruz, Sacramento, San Joaquin, Nevada, and Stanislaus Counties, plus statewide chat/text coverage for California. Primary capacity gaps include dedicated staffing, standardized protocols, breadth of referral pathways, and data infrastructure. Population of focus: Individuals experiencing suicidal ideation; individuals following a suicide attempt; individuals discharged after ED or inpatient psychiatric stabilization; individuals referred through 988; individuals in substance use crisis with co-occurring suicide risk; and individuals affected by suicide exposure through Felton's postvention response — spanning youth, transitional age youth, adults, and older adults, and including family members when clinically appropriate. Strategies and interventions to increase capacity: Expand dedicated follow-up staffing; standardize an evidence-informed follow-up protocol; formalize a postvention-to-follow-up pathway; expand referral pathways to EDs, mobile crisis teams, and community behavioral health partners; formalize MOUs; strengthen data collection; and pursue university research partnerships. Project goals: (1) Expand rapid, sustained follow-up after behavioral health crises; (2) Strengthen continuity of care across systems; (3) Improve clinical outcomes for individuals in follow-up; (4) Build sustainable follow-up program infrastructure. Measurable objectives (aligned with SAMHSA Strategic Priorities): Initiate follow-up within 24 hours of referral for 100% of eligible referrals; sustain follow-up for a minimum of 90 days (up to 12 months when indicated); execute MOUs with key partners, including at least one Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinic, in Year 1; increase completed safety plans and treatment engagement; and expand follow-up staffing while implementing continuous quality improvement.
