SCS 988 Suicide Crisis Lifeline Center Expansion - Seven Counties Services (SCS) proposes to expand its existing 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline Follow-Up Program across its seven-county service area in Kentucky, including Jefferson, Bullitt, Henry, Oldham, Shelby, Spencer, and Trimble counties. This project will create a dedicated follow-up team to close a critical gap in SCS's crisis response system: the ability to consistently reach people at risk of suicide in the days and weeks after their first contact with 988, when the risk of another crisis is highest. With this funding, SCS will provide timely, sustained follow-up support to more individuals who reach out to the Lifeline, helping to connect them to ongoing care and reducing the likelihood of a repeat crisis. The seven-county catchment area is home to approximately 1.05 million residents, including roughly 70,000 Veterans, with poverty rates ranging from 7% to over 16% across the region. As the Region 6 Community Mental Health Center and a Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinic, SCS has operated the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline since 2005 and answered over 90,000 crisis calls in 2025 alone. Crisis Intervention Counselors currently complete around 500 follow-up contacts a month, but because they are also responsible for answering incoming crisis calls, follow-up is often delayed during the periods when it matters most. This project will serve adults and transition-aged youth who contact 988 or another SCS crisis program experiencing suicidal ideation, a recent suicide attempt, a substance use-related crisis, or co-occurring mental health and substance use needs. Grant funding will support 1.3 FTE of dedicated Crisis Intervention Follow-Up Counselors, a 0.5 FTE Quality Assurance Supervisor, and a 0.5 FTE Data Administrator/Technology Coordinator, freeing these positions to focus solely on follow-up rather than competing with incoming call volume. Follow-up will begin within 24 hours of referral and continue for a minimum of 90 days and up to 12 months, and will include suicide and overdose risk reassessment, safety plan review, and coordination with outpatient treatment, substance use services, and community resources. Certified Peer Support Specialists will be incorporated into follow-up contacts based on participant preference. The project's goals are to increase SCS's capacity to deliver timely, coordinated post-crisis follow-up and to improve continuity of care and reduce suicide risk among those enrolled. Measurable objectives include initiating follow-up contact within 24 hours for at least 90% of eligible referrals, successfully connecting at least 85% of enrolled participants to ongoing treatment or support services within 30 days, and ensuring every follow-up contact includes a current risk reassessment and safety plan review.
