National implementation of the 988 crisis line began in the summer of 2022. The goal of this federal policy was to provide the public with a short number, similar to 911, that would route callers to a trained crisis-line counselor to assist with a range of mental health and substance use crises. Building on research being conducted by faculty at the Brown School, CMHSR will host a panel discussion with people who have been on the frontline of implementing 988 in the state of Missouri.
Moderated by Dr. Morgan Shields (Assistant Professor at the Brown School), panelists will include:
Kevin Dollinger: President and Executive Director at Provident Behavioral Health. Provident operates 988 crisis services and serves as the state of Missouri’s 988 backup line, as well as a national 988 backup line.
Casey Muckler: Crisis Services Coordinator at the Department of Mental Health who has led 988 implementation in Missouri.
Lauren Moyer: Vice President at Compass Health Network who was the state lead on the SAMHSA-backed 988 planning grant.
Gaby Musickant: A Brown School MPH/MSW student with experience working as a crisis-line counselor at SQSH, a peer-support crisis line developed out of WashU serving the LGBTQ+ population, and is not part of the 988 network. Gaby also has experience interviewing 988-network crisis-line counselors for research purposes.
