Take Action
We have an opportunity to #ReimagineCrisis. Join leading organizations to demand that our elected officials reimagine our crisis response system. Together, we can ensure that every person experiencing a mental health or suicidal crisis receives a humane response and is treated with dignity and respect.
Take action to #ReimagineCrisis in your community
Learn more about state legislation to #ReimagineCrisis
Crisis response legislation is moving in statehouses across the country. To learn more about your state’s legislative action and what is moving in other states, NAMI has an in-depth map of state-level 988 legislation.
Resources for Policymakers
Below are available resources and guidance for federal, state and local policymakers looking to #ReimagineCrisis.
- Public Law 116-172: National Suicide Hotline Designation Act of 2020
- SAMHSA: 988: Suicide and Crisis Lifeline
- SAMHSA: National Guidelines for Child and Youth Behavioral Health Crisis Care
- FCC-20-100: Designating 988 for the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline
- FCC-21-119: Enabling Text-to-988 Access to the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline
- FCC: 988 Geolocation Report – National Suicide Hotline Designation Act
- H.R. 7116: The 988 Implementation Act of 2022
- The 988 Implementation Act Packet from Rep. Tony Cárdenas
- NASMHPD Model State Legislation (updated 02/22/2022)
- NASMHPD Report: States’ Experiences in Legislating 988 and Crisis Services Systems
- NASMHPD: Improving the Child and Adolescent Crisis System: Shifting from a 9-1-1 to a 9-8-8 Paradigm
- CrisisNow Crisis Resource Need Calculator (developed by RI International & McKinsey Health Institute)
- SAMHSA: National Guidelines for Child and Youth Behavioral Health Crisis Care
- MHTTC: A Guide to 988: America’s Suicide Prevention and Mental Health Crisis Lifeline
- SAMHSA: National Guidelines for Behavioral Health Crisis Care
- CMS SHO #21-008: Medicaid Guidance on the Scope of and Payments for Qualifying Community-Based Mobile Crisis Intervention Services
- Technical Assistant Collaborative: Mobile Crisis Teams: A State Planning Guide for Medicaid-Financed Crisis Response Services
- National Association of Medicaid Directors Federal Policy Brief: Crisis Response
- Vera Institute: Civilian Crisis Response: A Toolkit for Equitable Alternatives to Police
Resources by Topic
Below are a compilation of resources for reimagining crisis response, categorized by topic.
County Funding Opportunities to Support Community Members Experiencing a Behavioral Health Crisis, NACo
Ensuring Coverage of Behavioral Health Emergency Services, The Kennedy Forum
Crisis Resource Need Calculator, developed by RI International & McKinsey Health Institute
Community Mental Health Services Block Grant (MHBG) Contacts, SAMHSA
Op-ed: “The new mental health hotline is a key step — but it must be properly funded”, Daniel H. Gillison, Jr.
County Funding Opportunities to Support Community Members Experiencing a Behavioral Health Crisis, NACo
Overview of Crisis Funding Sources Available to States and Localities, Crisis Now
Policy, Legislation & Guidelines
- National Guidelines for Behavioral Health Crisis Care, SAMHSA
- Public Law 116-172: National Suicide Hotline Designation Act of 2020, Congress.gov
- FCC-20-100: Designating 988 for the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline, FCC
- FCC-21-119: Enabling Text-to-988 Access to the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline, FCC
- FCC: 988 Geolocation Report – National Suicide Hotline Designation Act, FCC
- H.R. 7116: The 988 Implementation Act of 2022, Congress.gov
- 988 Partner Toolkit, SAMHSA
- 988 Model Bill Template for State Legislatures, NASMHPD
Public Policy Briefs
- 988 Transforming Crisis Systems Resources, NASMHPD
- 988 Crisis Jam Learning Community, RI International
- Civilian Crisis Response: A Toolkit for Equitable Alternatives to Police, Vera Institute
- Building a modern behavioral crisis response system: The role of federal policy, Brookings Institution
- The Crisis Roadmap, NASMHPD
- Crisis Lines: The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline Network, AFSP
- A Unified Vision for Transforming Mental Health and Substance Use Care, The CEO Alliance
- Consensus Approach and Recommendations for the Creation of a Comprehensive Crisis Response System, NAMI
- Federal Policy Brief: Crisis Response, NAMD
- Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinics and County Governments, NACo
- CCBHC Success Center, The National Council for Mental Wellbeing
Resources for Public Education & Awareness
- 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline, SAMHSA
- 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline Volunteer and Job Opportunities, SAMHSA
- 988 FAQs, SAMHSA
- 988 Lifeline FAQs, Vibrant
- 988: Reimagining Crisis Response, NAMI
- What Will and Won’t Change on July 16? NAMI
- 988 Did You Know? NAMI
- 988 Social Media Shareables, SAMHSA
- Dak Prescott and Solomon Thomas on 988, AFSP
- “To make 988 truly transformative, here’s what needs to happen now,” The Trevor Project & CLASP
- Lifeline: The 988 Podcast, quick clips on basic 988 topics, featuring Shannon Scully, Meadows Mental Health Policy Institute
- 988: America’s First 3-Digit Mental Health Crisis Line, The Kennedy Forum
- Answering the Call, Part 1: America’s New Mental Health Crisis Line, Tradeoffs Podcast
- 988 Automated Call Demonstration, NE DHHS
- The Promise of 988: Crisis Care for Everyone, Everywhere, Every Time, CrisisNow
- I Answer the Phone at a Mental Health Hotline. Here’s What I’ve Learned. New York Times
- A Mental Health Crisis Deserves a Mental Health Response, NAMI
- “What the Health?” Podcast featuring NAMI Chief Advocacy Officer Hannah Wesolowski, Kaiser Health News
- NAMI Poll Finds Public Unaware of 988 Before July Launch but Supportive of Policies to Improve Crisis Response (June 2022), NAMI
National Guidelines for Child and Youth Behavioral Health Crisis Care, SAMHSA
From Harm to Health: Centering Racial Equity and Lived Experience in Mental Health Crisis Response, Fountain House
Veterans Crisis Line, VA.gov
A New Opportunity to Help People with Disabilities in Crisis, The Arc
AANHPI-specific 988 Fliers and Social Media Assets for Public Awareness, NAAPIMHA
Youth Mobile Response Services: An Investment to Decriminalize Mental Health, CLASP
Civilian Crisis Response: A Toolkit for Equitable Alternatives to Police, Vera Institute
A Matter of Public Health and Safety: How States Can Support Local Crisis Systems, The Council of State Governments
Tucson Shares Blueprint for Crisis System Success
States’ Experiences in Legislating 988 and Crisis Services Systems, NASMHPD
Mobile Crisis Teams: A State Planning Guide for Medicaid-Financed Crisis Response Services, Technical Assistance Collaborative
Toolkit for Counites: 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline, NACo
988 Desired Outcomes and Metrics, Nebraska DHHS
A Matter of Public Health and Safety: How States Can Support Local Crisis Systems, The Council of State Governments
How Five Jurisdictions Are Rethinking Crisis Response with the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline, The Council of State Governments
Lifeline Performance Metrics by Month, SAMHSA
Quality Measurement in Crisis Services, The National Council for Mental Wellbeing
Taking a Look at 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline Implementation, KFF
988 Desired Outcomes and Metrics, Nebraska DHHS
CCBHC Success Center, The National Council for Mental Wellbeing
NAMI/Ipsos 2023 Poll
NAMI/Ipsos 2022 Poll
- NAMI Poll Finds Public Unaware of 988 Before July Launch but Supportive of Policies to Improve Crisis Response (June 2022)
- 2022 NAMI/Ipsos Infographic
- 2022 NAMI 988 Crisis Response Research
- 2022 NAMI/Ipsos – 988 Crisis Response Research
NAMI/Ipsos 2021 Poll
Partner Materials
- The Trevor Project-Morning Consult Poll: U.S. Adults’ Knowledge on Suicide Prevention and 988 (April 2022)
- ACEP Podcast: Suicide Awareness and Prevention – Introducing 988
#ReimagineCrisis Toolkits
Mental Health Care
- Knowledge Center: 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline, American Counseling Association
- Webinar: 988 – The Future of Suicide Prevention and Crisis Care, American College of Emergency Physicians
- The American Journal of Emergency Medicine: ED recommendations for suicide prevention in adults: The ICAR2E mnemonic and a systematic review of the literature, American College of Emergency Physicians
- Clinical Tool: ICAR2E: Identifying Suicide Risk, American College of Emergency Physicians
Law Enforcement
Have an Idea for a Resource We Should Add?
We want to hear from you! Send us a message at reimaginecrisis@nami.org to let us know what else would be useful on the site.
