Rhode Island 988 Bridge-to Build - Rhode Island BHDDH, the State Mental Health Authority, will implement the 988 Bridge-to-Build project to close the state's text and chat answer-rate gap on the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline. Rhode Island answers 98 percent of in-state voice contacts but answers far below the 90 percent standard for routed text and chat contacts. Over three years, BHDDH will concentrate existing counselor capacity on peak-hour coverage and add a procured backup provider to raise text and chat answer rates statewide. Geographic Area and Capacity Need. The project serves the entire state of Rhode Island, a single-catchment jurisdiction operating one 988 Crisis Contact Center. The capacity need is in-state digital response: only 13 percent of the state's total digital demand is currently routed to Rhode Island, and of routed contacts only 12.4 percent of text and 13.2 percent of chat are answered in-state, so just 1.7 percent of total statewide digital demand is answered locally. Unanswered digital contacts route to national backup, producing no state-reportable data and reducing continuity of care. The grant builds the in-state capacity to answer, follow up on, and connect digital crisis contacts locally. Population of Focus and Service Population. The population of focus is all Rhode Islanders experiencing suicidal, substance use, or behavioral health crisis, with particular attention to those at elevated risk of suicide and overdose. Contact volume is concentrated among young adults ages 18 to 25 and adults ages 50 to 65, and populations at heightened risk include youth, veterans, individuals with co-occurring substance use and mental health conditions, and individuals involved with other systems of care. In 2024, 99 Rhode Islanders died by suicide (age-adjusted rate 8.9 per 100,000). The 988 center serves help-seekers of all ages statewide by voice, text, and chat, connecting them to mobile crisis, stabilization, treatment, and community supports. Strategies and Interventions. The three-year Bridge-to-Build model runs two parallel tracks. Track 1 concentrates the existing budgeted counselor workforce on peak-demand text and chat coverage; the grant funds no new counselor positions. Track 2 competitively procures a Vibrant-approved Tier 2 backup provider under 2 CFR 200.319 to absorb overflow before contacts reach national backup. A Year 1 decision point calibrates the balance between tracks using performance and cost data. The project also formalizes follow-up policy, standardizes real-time referral and warm-handoff protocols including substance use and overdose pathways, develops a 988/911 Coordination Framework, and produces a Sustainability Plan. Project Goals. (1) Improve the state response to 988 text and chat contacts originating in Rhode Island; (2) strengthen and standardize the contact center's follow-up practice and reach; (3) ensure statewide standardized referral protocols, 988/911 coordination, and trackable connection; and (4) ensure the sustainability of expanded 988 crisis capacity beyond the project period. Measurable Objectives. Aligned with SAMHSA's priority of expanding crisis intervention services, BHDDH will increase the in-state text answer rate from a certified 12.4 percent baseline to at least 30 percent by end of Year 2 and 40 percent by end of Year 3, and the chat answer rate from 13.2 percent to at least 40 percent and 50 percent over the same period, moving toward the 90 percent standard. Within 120 days of award, the center will meet Network Administrator follow-up requirements and submit a state follow-up data plan. By end of Year 1, the state will standardize real-time referral and warm-handoff protocols; by end of Year 3, complete the 988/911 Coordination Framework; and by March 29, 2029, submit the required 988 Sustainability Plan.
