A state-level perspective on scaling the 988 suicide and crisis lifeline - a podcast by ICF

As 988 takes shape across the country as the replacement for the 10-digit National Suicide Prevention Lifeline—part of the bipartisan National Suicide Hotline Designation Act—states continue to respond to the rise in workforce demand.

In this second episode of our series on building and preparing the crisis services workforce, host Taylor Moore, director of research science at ICF, discusses the challenges and successes in scaling 988 across Missouri. He’s joined by Casey Muckler, a suicide prevention specialist with the Missouri Department of Mental Health to explore the ways in which organizations can recruit, train, support, and retain a dedicated and inclusive workforce. Together, they cover topics including:

• Responding to and preparing for an increase in 988 calls—and readying the workforce for even further anticipated influxes
• Training support replacing qualification requirements to create a robust workforce
• Supporting crisis specialists to make them feel confident, comfortable, and empowered
• How call centers can leverage flexibility and remote opportunities to fill open positions
• Developing a comprehensive, trauma-informed training curriculum to provide high quality of care
• Delivering culturally responsive, person-first services to the public
• Securing funding for expanded services
• Recommendations for other state agencies and behavioral health care providers

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