Colorado’s crisis hotline is on track to meet its goal for answering calls in-state after facing challenges since 2021.
Vibrant Emotional Health, the organization responsible for administering the 988 Lifeline, set a target for in-state call centers to answer 90% of calls. When local centers are unavailable, calls are routed to national back-up centers, but the personnel there may not be familiar with local resources.
According to Vibrant’s monthly reports, Colorado achieved this goal in January and came close in February and March, with in-state centers answering 89% of calls. Data for April is pending.
Since at least July 2021, Colorado had not met this goal, reaching a low of 41% of calls answered locally in August 2024. During this period, there was a transition in contractors, with Solari Crisis and Human Services taking over from Rocky Mountain Crisis Partners in September.
The Colorado Behavioral Health Administration reported that the state has been meeting the goal, with approximately 92% of calls answered in-state since December. Vibrant’s data includes calls that are quickly disconnected by the caller.
Crisis workers handled around 10 million calls and texts within the first two years of 988 launching nationwide in July 2022. Prior to 988, there was a 10-digit suicide prevention hotline, and some states, like Colorado, had their own crisis lines.
Solari Crisis and Human Services manages both the state number and 988 calls in Colorado, and the two lines will merge in the upcoming summer, with calls to the state number being redirected to 988.
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