District of Columbia 988 Crisis Center Follow-Up - The District of Columbia Department of Behavioral Health (DBH) proposes to strengthen crisis center follow-up capacity within Access Helpline (AHL), the Districtʼs 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline center, by hiring two licensed Care Coordinators to provide same-day and next-day follow-up for individuals who contact 988 and need additional support for at least 90 days but up to one year after the initial crisis interaction. The project will serve District residents who experience suicide risk, mental health crisis, substance use crisis, or emergency referral through 988, 911 diversion, or mobile crisis pathways, and will focus on continuity of care, safety planning, risk reassessment, and connection to ongoing treatment and recovery supports. DBH is well positioned to implement this capacity-building project because AHL is a 24/7 behavioral health access point that answered 44,627 calls in FY25, including 8,998 phone calls, 1,352 texts, and 1,095 chats through 988. FY25 DBH data also show 653 individuals used the Comprehensive Psychiatric Emergency Program, 384 used the Crisis Response Team, and 208 used crisis beds, confirming sustained demand for crisis services and the need for structured post-contact engagement. SAMHSAʼs NOFO requires crisis centers to initiate follow-up within 24 hours of referral or care transition, continue follow-up for at least 90 days and up to 12 months, coordinate with mobile crisis and 911/PSAP partners, and report follow-up data through required federal systems. The proposed project will develop and implement a standardized follow-up protocol, enhance care coordination with community behavioral health providers like core services agencies (CSAs) and Assertive Community Treatment Teams (ACT) as well as crisis partners, build documentation and reporting workflows, and improve engagement of high-risk individuals after crisis contacts. The project goals are to increase timely follow-up, improve linkage to community-based behavioral health care, reduce recurrent crisis episodes and unnecessary emergency response involvement, and strengthen DBH's ability to measure and continuously improve outcomes for people at elevated suicide and overdose risk.
