Help center INC. Follow-up improvement - help center, INC

The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration awarded Help Center, Inc. $250,000 on September 30, 2026, under the 988 and Behavioral Health Crisis Services Programs (CFDA 93.00R) to implement the Crisis Center Follow-Up Improvement Project.

Help Center, Inc. will deliver telephonic crisis follow-up services across a 13-county, 28,729-square-mile region of Southwest Montana (population 244,842), building on three years of prior SAMHSA-funded implementation. The project strengthens continuity of care following behavioral health crises by enhancing a community-integrated crisis follow-up framework, expanding local partnerships, standardizing evidence-informed follow-up practices, and supporting more consistent follow-up across rural and frontier communities. Help Center provides direct services within its 13-county region to individuals referred through 988, hospitals, emergency departments, inpatient psychiatric units, mobile crisis teams, law enforcement, EMS, and public safety answering points. Priority populations include individuals at high risk for suicide or repeated crisis utilization, those transitioning from higher levels of care, those referred through emergency response contact, and residents of rural and tribal communities with limited behavioral health infrastructure.

Help Center also partners with Voices of Hope, Montana's designated 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline provider, to strengthen crisis follow-up across 36 additional counties (population 515,012). The community-integrated crisis follow-up framework combines standardized, evidence-informed follow-up practices with locally delivered implementation through trusted community organizations, including a 24-hour, 90-day minimum follow-up protocol.

Performance occurs in Bozeman, Montana. The period of performance runs from September 30, 2026, through September 29, 2029.

Will implement the crisis center follow-up improvement project across a 13-county, 28,729-square-mile region of southwest montana (population 244,842), while partnering with voices of hope, montana's designated 988 suicide & crisis lifeline provider for 36 additional counties (population 515,012), to strengthen telephonic crisis follow-up across rural, frontier, and tribal communities. Building on three years of samhsa-funded implementation, the project will strengthen continuity of care following behavioral health crises by enhancing the community-integrated crisis follow-up framework, expanding local partnerships, standardizing evidence-informed follow-up practices, and supporting more consistent telephonic crisis follow-up across montana's two largest rural 988 service regions. The population of focus includes individuals who experience suicidal ideation, suicide attempts, behavioral health crises, substance use crises, or other circumstances placing them at elevated risk for repeated crisis contact, hospitalization, overdose, or death by suicide. Direct services will be provided within help center's 13-county region to individuals referred through 988, hospitals, emergency departments, inpatient psychiatric units, mobile crisis teams, law enforcement, EMS, public safety answering points (PSAPS), and other crisis partners. Priority populations include individuals at high risk for suicide or repeated crisis utilization, those transitioning from higher levels of care, those referred through emergency response contact, and residents of rural and tribal communities with limited behavioral health infrastructure. The community-integrated crisis follow-up framework combines standardized, evidence-informed follow-up practices with locally delivered implementation through trusted community organizations. Grant funding will strengthen this framework by enhancing help center's 24-hour, 90-day minimum follow-up protocol; formalizing memoranda of understanding with hospitals, mobile crisis teams, PSAPS, and behavioral health providers; expanding community-based follow-up capacity through peers, community health workers, and integrated behavioral health partners; and providing implementation support, training, and quality improvement assistance to strengthen and expand voices of hope's telephonic follow-up program, increasing access to consistent follow-up services for hundreds of thousands of additional montanans. The follow-up improvement project advances four goals: strengthening crisis follow-up and continuity of care; implementing the community-integrated crisis follow-up framework through expanded local partnerships; enhancing statewide implementation capacity through voices of hope technical assistance; and evaluating, improving, and disseminating the framework. Within 18 months of award, help center will increase referrals and follow-up enrollment among eligible individuals by at least 20%, and will establish or update 15 formal agreements with hospitals, crisis service providers, and behavioral health organizations within 24 months.