988 Tennessee Improvement Program 2.0 - The 988 Tennessee Improvement Program (TIP) 2.0 will strengthen Tennessee's 988 crisis response system by enhancing workforce capacity, chat and text services, crisis follow-up, quality improvement, and system coordination. The Tennessee Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services (TDMHSAS) will implement the project statewide across all 95 counties through a network of nine 988 centers. Funding will address statewide capacity needs through targeted investments in workforce expansion, chat and text services, crisis follow-up, and the addition of a ninth 988 center, with resources allocated based on each center's geographic service area and contact volume. These investments will sustain existing 988 services and strengthen Tennessee’s capacity to meet increasing demand, while ensuring the state continues to meet or exceed the national performance standard of answering at least 90% of in-state calls, chats, and texts. The project will provide 988 services to individuals of all ages experiencing behavioral health crises, with particular emphasis on populations at highest risk for suicide and overdose, including youth, men, rural residents, veterans, and adults with substance use disorders. Individuals contacting 988 in Tennessee will receive timely screening, triage, crisis intervention, referral, and follow-up services, as appropriate, to support crisis de-escalation and connection to community-based behavioral health and recovery services. Capacity-building strategies include workforce expansion, implementation of standardized referral and follow-up protocols, enhanced substance use crisis care protocols, strengthened 911/988 coordination, statewide communications activities, quality assurance, sustainability planning, enhanced data collection, performance monitoring, and participation in SAMHSA’s National Cross-Site Evaluation. Project goals are to strengthen Tennessee's 988 workforce and service capacity to consistently meet national performance standards; improve quality, referrals, and continuity of care across Tennessee's 988 system; ensure long-term sustainability and system coordination; enhance data collection, reporting, and system performance; and increase public awareness and access to 988 services.
