House Health Committee Hears Update on 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline

Drew Adkins, KDADS Behavioral Health Commissioner provided an update on the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline.   See report attached.

The 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline was implemented nationally, and in Kansas, on July 16, 2022. 988 is currently answered in Kansas by HeadQuarters Kansas, COMCARE of Sedgwick County, Johnson County Mental Health Center, Wyandot Behavioral Health Network, and HealthSource Integrated Solutions. 988 is overseen by the federal Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) and administered by Vibrant Emotional Health.

The 988 system in Kansas has continued to grow since its implementation in July 2022. The state is working to meet the increasing demand for services by expanding chat and text capabilities to several other centers. These enhancements aim to improve accessibility and ensure that Kansans have more options to connect with 988 services when needed. Geo-routing capabilities went live in Fall 2024, providing connections for callers to the closest call center based on their physical location instead of area code.

House Health Committee Hears Update on Mental Health Intervention Teams program for K-12 Schools

Drew Adkins, KDADS Behavioral Health Commissioner provided an update on the MHIT program last week.  The creation of MHIT by the Legislature in 2018 responded to the increased number of students and families needing behavioral health services and removed barriers that made it difficult to link students with effective mental health support. HB 2236 will be heard by House Health and Human Services next Tuesday to establish the program in statute.

The pilot proviso authorized nine school districts to enter into agreements with their local community mental health centers to provide school-based services. The latest KDADS report states the program serves 130 schools and partners with 20 CCBHCs, several Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs), and private providers. The partners link services into the school buildings to reduce time away from the classroom, provide after-hours resources and maximize the use of mental health professionals through partnerships – reducing competition for those professionals. Each MHIT participating school selects their preferred mental health provider(s).  Link to KDADS Program Update

Link to KMHC Testimony for HB 2236