The Arkansas 988 Capacity Improvement Project seeks to strengthen the capabilities and effectiveness of in-state 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline centers in Arkansas. - The Arkansas Department of Health, Suicide Prevention Program, will implement the Arkansas 988 Capacity Improvement Project to strengthen the state’s crisis response system and improve in state answer rates for calls, chats, and texts to the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline. The program will expand workforce capacity, enhance coordination across crisis system partners, and improve data collection and performance monitoring to ensure timely, high quality support for individuals experiencing mental health, substance use, or suicidal crises. Arkansas continues to experience high rates of suicide and behavioral health needs, underscoring the importance of a strong, responsive 988 system. While the state has made progress since the launch of 988, increasing in state capacity remains essential to reducing rollover to the national backup network and ensuring that Arkansans receive localized, crisis support. Strengthening staffing, operational readiness, and system coordination will allow the state to meet rising demand and maintain consistent, high quality crisis intervention. The population of focus includes all Arkansans who contact 988 for mental health, substance use, or suicide related concerns. Individuals served may experience depression, trauma, substance use, financial stress, social isolation, or other behavioral health challenges requiring immediate crisis intervention. The program will ensure that 988 remains accessible, responsive, and equipped to meet the needs of individuals seeking support. To expand statewide capacity, the program will issue a competitive Request for Application to select and contract with two additional in state 988 crisis centers to support call, chat, and text response. The program will also strengthen operations at the Arkansas Lifeline Call Center through workforce development, quarterly training, enhanced supervision, and ongoing quality improvement. Key activities include strengthening follow up practices, improving coordination between 911 and 988, supporting cybersecurity and sentinel event protocols, and ensuring compliance with all required data collection and reporting standards. Evaluation efforts will focus on improving answer rates, reducing rollover to backup centers, strengthening follow up engagement, and identifying opportunities for system improvement. Data collected will guide staffing, scheduling, and performance monitoring, ensuring that service quality remains consistent. Project goals include: (1) expanding in state 988 capacity to achieve at least a 90% answer rate across calls, chats, and texts; (2) strengthening the crisis response workforce through training, staffing support, and performance monitoring; (3) improving system coordination with 911, behavioral health partners, and other crisis response entities; and (4) enhancing data collection, evaluation, and sustainability planning. Sustainability efforts will include ongoing workforce development, continued collaboration with statewide partners, and exploration of additional funding sources to maintain expanded capacity beyond the grant period.
