Saturday, December 2, 2023
12/2/2023
Through the Louisiana 988 Cooperative Agreement, the Louisiana Department of Health, Office of Behavioral Health (OBH) will improve Louisiana's response to 988 crisis calls, chats, and texts originating in the state. The goals of this project are to: (1) ensure statewide 24/7 coverage for 988 calls, chats and texts, (2) strengthen OBH's oversight of Louisiana's 988/Lifeline services, and (3) ensure strong coordination between Louisiana's crisis response system, 988/Lifeline contact centers and 911 administrators. To achieve these goals, OBH will work closely with Louisiana's two Lifeline contact centers, VIA LINK and the Louisiana Association on Compulsive Gambling (LACG), who will expand their capacity to ensure the in-state answer rate for Lifeline calls is maintained at 90% or higher. The contact centers will ensure their workforce receives training on working with populations at risk of suicide and awareness of referral options. Contact centers will also link veterans, service members, or their families to the Veterans Crisis Line. OBH will also form a unified platform workgroup to address responding to Lifeline chat and text requests by creating and adopting a timeline that includes costs, analysis of barriers, and addressing state-specific needs. This coordinated approach will ensure the state of Louisiana has the systems in place to respond to crisis calls, texts and chats statewide when 988 goes live on July 16, 2022
HHS’ Tracking Accountability in Government Grants System (TAGGS) website provides access to detailed descriptions of grants, loans, aggregated direct payments and other types of financial assistance awarded by the HHS Operating Divisions (OPDIVs) and the Office of the Secretary Staff Divisions (STAFFDIVs).
