Led by the Arkansas Department of Health (ADH), the Arkansas 988 Capacity Project will enable the state to meet or exceed the expected in-state 988/Lifeline call answer rate, which will decrease wait time and increase appropriate resource advisement for callers. Additionally, it will develop the capacity for in-state chat and text response. Equally important, the project will require collaboration between current Arkansas 988/Lifeline call centers and ensure that policies are consistent, that data is appropriately collected and distributed, and that call takers are adequately trained on at-risk populations and resources available. Furthermore, the project will prioritize follow-ups for all callers. Lastly, the project will work to sustain this critical public health resource beyond the grant period.
In 2017, Arkansas Legislative Act 811 mandated ADH create and maintain a suicide prevention call center, and in late 2017, staff began answering calls from the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline (NSPL) as the Arkansas Lifeline Call Center (ALCC). In addition to the ALCC, the Arkansas Crisis Center (ACC) answers calls for the northwest part of the state. Additionally, the Western Arkansas Counseling and Guidance Center (WACGC) is in the process of becoming an NSPL call center in the first quarter of 2022, also set to answer calls in the northwest part of the state. As of January 2021, the in-state call answer rate for Arkansas was 65% and therefore too many Arkansans are facing extended wait times as their calls are transferred out of state to available call centers who often lack knowledge of resources within the state. Furthermore, Arkansas currently relies on the NSPL national network for all in-state chat and text response.
To meet the goals set forth, the project will:
1) Increase staffing and volunteer capacity in all three suicide prevention call centers to reach the expected answer rate of 90% in-state by July 2022.
2) Initiate an in-state chat and text response plan for all call centers to reach a 50% in-state response rate by the end of the first year and 90% by the end of the project period.
3) Establish coordinated data reporting and quality improvement plans for all in-state call centers.
4) Prioritize consistent follow-up in all in-state call centers.
5) Develop a sustainability plan to maintain capacity and key performance indicators beyond the grant period.
While it is challenging to determine how many people will be impacted, a considerable number of Arkansans accessing the 988/Lifeline will benefit from shorter wait times, better advisement of local resources, texts and chats answered in-state. Lastly, the project will offer consistency across all in-state call centers, and a prioritization of follow-up from call takers.