Delaware 988 state and territory improvement - as the single state agency for substance abuse and mental health, delaware division of substance abuse and mental health (dsamh) will oversee the…

Delaware 988 state and territory improvement - as the single state agency for substance abuse and mental health, delaware division of substance abuse and mental health (dsamh) will oversee the implementation of the delaware 988 state and territory improvement cooperative agreement. The goal is to improve state capacity in responding to 988 calls, chats, and texts from delawareans of all ages. The funding will support the expansion of the workforce and infrastructure toward establishing a state-wide behavioral health crisis communication center that serves as the central hub for delawarean adults and children seeking mental health, suicide, and substance use crisis support services. Building on our ongoing work, dsamh and our partner organizations seek to leverage this cooperative agreement program resource to: (1) enhance recruitment, hiring, and training of 988 workforce to meet at minimum 90 percent state or territory calls, chats, and texts demand;(2) implement additional technology and security measures to fully support 988 infrastructure and effective coordination across the crisis continuum;(3) improve 988 support and service for high risk and underserved populations; (4) develop and implement comprehensive quality assurance plans, to include identification and review of critical incidents; and (5) develop and implement comprehensive 988 communication plans in line with samhsa 988 partner toolkit. Based on the projected volume from vibrant, we anticipate as many as 39600 individuals experiencing crisis episodes would be served annually.