Colorado hits goal for answering 988 crisis line for first time since 2021

Colorado s emergency hotline is coming close to or meeting its goal for answering calls in-state after lagging since Vibrant Emotional Fitness which has a contract to administer the Lifeline set a goal that in-state call centers will answer of calls Nationwide back-up centers take calls when no one is available to respond locally but their employees may not know what materials to direct a caller to in their area Vibrant s monthly reports show Colorado met that goal in January and came close in February and March when in-state centers picked up of calls Content from April isn t yet available The state hadn t hit the goal since at least July and reached a low of of calls answered locally in August At the time the line was in flux as contractor Rocky Mountain Emergency Partners fought the state s decision to award the job to a different company The new contractor Arizona-based Solari Situation and Human Services took over in September Solari referred questions about the emergency line to the Colorado Behavioral Vitality Administration The BHA reported its records demonstrated Colorado met the goal with about of calls answered in-state since December Vibrant s content includes specific calls that never reach the center because the person hangs up fast it revealed Related Articles Risks of psychedelic use aren t widely known Colorado campaign hopes to change that New mental wellness hospital opens in Edwards restoring care on Colorado s Western Slope Hospital systems in Colorado saw improved finances in but Medicaid cuts are looming threat Colorado school district approves transgender athlete ban though questions about implementation remain Colorado school district seeks restrictions on transgender athletes amid Trump crackdown Vibrant sets an acceptable level of variance between state information and Vibrant details of up to and anything within this threshold is considered normal the administration s announcement stated Problem workers answered about million calls and texts in the first two years after launched nationwide in July The country previously had a -digit suicide prevention hotline and specific states including Colorado had their own situation lines before the easier-to-remember number went live Solari answers both the state number and calls placed within Colorado and the two lines will merge this summer with calls to the state number redirected to Sign up for our weekly newsletter to get healthcare news sent straight to your inbox