988 suicide and crisis lifeline center MCOT suicide care pathway follow up program - integral care, the local mental health authority for travis county, texas, will build lasting capacity within its…

The Department of Health and Human Services Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration awarded $250,000 to Austin-Travis County Mental Health And Mental Retardation Center, operating as Austin Travis County Integral Care, on September 30, 2026, under the 988 and Behavioral Health Crisis Services Programs (CFDA 93.00R).

Integral Care will build lasting capacity within its Mobile Crisis Outreach Team (MCOT) to deliver systematic follow-up care to individuals at risk of suicide after hospital, emergency department, or crisis residential discharge. The project addresses a specific capacity gap: currently only about 50% of psychiatric inpatient and emergency department discharges receive connection to follow-up services. MCOT encounters in Integral Care's catchment area grew from 2,768 in 2023 to 3,909 in 2025.

The population of focus spans persons at risk of suicide in Travis County who contact 988 or Integral Care's 24/7 crisis helpline; are discharged from hospital emergency departments or inpatient psychiatric units following suicide-related visits; are discharged from crisis residential programs; or are seen at urgent walk-in clinics or psychiatric emergency services and identified as moderate-to-high suicide risk without current connection to ongoing behavioral health care. Approximately 80% of individuals served are expected to be adults and 20% youth, with the largest single cohort ages 25–39 and more than half within the 25–54 range. This population presents with high-acuity suicide risk, frequently including co-occurring substance use and overdose risk, prior crisis system involvement, and unmet need for connection to ongoing mental health and substance use services.

The award covers the period from September 30, 2026, through September 29, 2029, with place of performance in Austin, Texas 78704.

988 suicide and crisis lifeline center MCOT suicide care pathway follow up program - integral care, the local mental health authority for travis county, texas, will build lasting capacity within its mobile crisis outreach team (MCOT) to deliver systematic follow-up care to individuals at risk of suicide after a hospital, emergency department, or crisis residential discharge - and helping reduce suicide, overdose, and repeat crisis through its 988 suicide and crisis lifeline center MCOT suicide care pathway follow up program. Travis county and the greater austin metro area constitute the primary geographic area to be reached through this capacity-building project. As a 988 lifeline answering point, integral care already extends crisis response to more than 70 central texas counties. MCOT encounters in this catchment area have grown from 2,768 in 2023 to 3,909 in 2025, while only about 50% of psychiatric inpatient and ED discharges are currently connected to follow-up services - the specific capacity GAP this project addresses. The population of focus for this project is persons at risk of suicide in travis county who contact 988 or integral care's 24/7 crisis helpline; are discharged from a hospital ED or inpatient psychiatric unit following a suicide-related visit, discharged from a crisis residential program, or seen at an urgent walk-in clinic or psychiatric emergency services (PES) and identified as moderate-to-high suicide risk without a current connection to ongoing behavioral health care.consistent with integral care's existing MCOT population, individuals served are expected to span the lifespan, with approximately 80% adults and 20% youth, the largest single cohort ages 25-39, and more than half falling within the 25-54 range. Clinically, this population presents with high-acuity suicide risk, frequently including CO-occurring substance use and overdose risk, prior crisis system involvement, and unmet need for connection to ongoing mental health, substance use, and primary care services. Approximately 18% of MCOT clients are experiencing homelessness, the subgroup hardest to locate and retain in follow-up care.to build this capacity, integral care will formalize a 24-hour follow-up protocol grounded in its zero suicide (ZEST) framework, using the C-ssrs to reassess risk at each contact and delivering evidence-based interventions - safety planning intervention, motivational interviewing, counseling on access to lethal means (CALM), and trauma-focused cognitive behavioral therapy - through sustained MCOT follow-up specialist positions. The project will also formalize mous with area inpatient hospitals and other identified organizations, align practice with state 911/988 protocols, and strengthen data sharing through integral care's existing EHR and power BI infrastructure. Project goals are to: (1) increase the rate of timely post-discharge follow-up contact for individuals at risk of suicide; (2) sustain MCOT staffing capacity to absorb rising crisis demand; (3) reduce repeat crisis contacts and suicide reattempts among the population of focus; and (4) strengthen referral and data-sharing pathways between EDS, 988/crisis helpline, and MCOT. Measurable objectives include increasing the percentage of psychiatric inpatient-discharged individuals who receive an MCOT follow-up contact within 24 hours of discharge from a baseline of 50% to 65% by year 1, 70% by year 2, and 75% by year 3 - advancing samhsa's priority of expanding crisis intervention care and services; increasing the average number of follow-up contacts per client from 1.4 to 5 by year 3, consistent with samhsa's priority of addressing SMI through sustained, clinically sophisticated engagement; reducing repeat MCOT dispatch within 90 days of an initial contact by 10% by year 2; & formalizing referral protocols with austin-metro inpatient hospitals by year 1 and a shared referral-to-contact tracking mechanism by year 2 - both supporting samhsa's priority of improving access to evidence-based treatment through data-informed local partnerships.