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Fact Sheet: Spotlight on Austin, Texas 

Mental Health and Substance Use Crisis Care 

Federal and local officials meet to discuss 988 Suicide & Crisis 

Lifeline one year milestones, future of crisis care. 

Note to editors/reporters: B-roll and soundbites are available for download at the 

988 Newsroom page. 

Texas 

Subject matter experts from the federal, state, and local 

levels met on Wednesday, June 14, for a discussion of 

the milestones of the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline’s first 

year and the future of crisis care for mental health and 

substance use in Texas and across the United States. 

Topics they discussed included: 

• 988 Lifeline: The First Year: Almost a year ago, on

July 16, 2022, the nation transitioned to 988 as the

easy-to-remember number to reach trained crisis

counselors for help with suicide, mental health, and

substance use-related crises.

• The Future Vision: The longer-term vision for

mental health and substance use crisis care is to

build a robust response system across the country

that links 988 Lifeline users to community-based

providers who can deliver a full range of crisis care

services, if needed.

From extended observation to crisis residential and 

crisis respite, Texas has spent years building out a 

continuum of crisis care. 

Integral Care offers their own 24/7 Crisis Helpline, which 

gives the community they serve one more option that 

they can reach out to when in need. 

Press Event Speakers 

• Michelle Alletto, Chief Program and Services

Officer at Texas Health and Human Services

Commission

• Monica Johnson, Director of the 988 & Behavioral

Health Crisis Coordinating Office at the U.S.

Department of Health and Human Services’

Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services

Administration (SAMHSA), the federal agency that

oversees the 988 Lifeline

Spotlight on Austin, Texas 

• Texas has a “no wrong door” to accessing

behavioral health crisis and follows SAMHSA’s

2020 National Guidelines for Behavioral Health

Crisis Care for a system that provides:

o 24/7 crisis intervention services via phone,

text and chat—provided in Austin by Integral

Care.

o If needed, mobile crisis teams are available

for dispatch in a timely manner to someone in

crisis at their home, work, or other location.

o Crisis receiving and stabilization locations

that provide short-term care and crisis

stabilization services and referrals for followup care.

• In Austin and Travis County, long-standing

relationships between first responders, city and

county elected officials, and Integral Care–the

Local Mental Health Authority–help ensure that

people in Austin/Travis County have multiple

access points to varying levels of mental health

care, no matter if they call 988, 911 or the local

24/7 Crisis Helpline. Benefits include improved

health outcomes and reduction in unnecessary

use of jail, ERs and inpatient hospitalization.

• Collaboration with first responders includes

training–cadets, sworn officers, 911 call center

operators and medics–and co-location at the

911 center.

• From September 2021 to August 2022, 81% of

911 calls handled by Integral Care were

diverted from police response.

Note to reporters/editors: B-roll package provides 

video of mobile crisis outreach teams and the 988 

Lifeline call center. 
 

 

 

 

 

• Dr. Tia Dole, Chief 988 Lifeline Officer, Vibrant Emotional Health, the 988 Lifeline national network 

administrator 

• Dawn Handley, Chief Operations Officer of Integral Care, Austin’s 988 Lifeline call center 

Local Mental Health Stats and Relevant Issues 

• In May 2023, Texas answered 11,502 total contacts (calls, texts, and chats) to the 988 Lifeline. 

• The National Alliance on Mental Illness estimates that 3,347,000 adults in Texas have a mental 

health condition—that’s more than three times the population of Austin. 

• According to SAMHSA’s 2021 National Survey on Drug Use and Health, 8.22% of Texans 18 or 

older had a major depressive episode, 5.33% had serious thoughts of suicide, and 1.78% 

made suicide plans in the past year. 

• A Kaiser Family Foundation survey found that 36.8% of adults in Texas reported symptoms of 

anxiety and/or depressive disorder. Among adults in Texas who reported experiencing symptoms 

of anxiety and/or depressive disorder, 30% reported needing counseling or therapy but not 

receiving it. Drug overdose death rates increased in Texas from 10.1 per 100,000 in 2011 to 16.8 

per 100,000 in 2021, primarily due to opioids. 

More About the 988 Lifeline 

• Since launching in July 2022, the 988 Lifeline has had about 4 million contacts through calls, texts, 

and chats—an average of about 350,000 contacts per month. 

• In May 2023, the 988 Lifeline received 402,494 total contacts. 

• Federal investment in the 988 Lifeline has totaled nearly $1 billion in recent years, not including 

mental health block grants and other federal money that supports behavioral health care systems. 

• SAMHSA recently announced awards that will expand and enhance mobile crisis response teams— 

including two in the state of Texas—and more than $200 million in new funding opportunities for the 

988 Lifeline. 

• Specialized services are also available: 

o Military veterans, service members, and their families can reach the Veterans Crisis Line 

by selecting Option 1. 

o Callers who want to talk to someone in Spanish can do so by selecting Option 2. 

Spanish text and chat are expected to be available this summer. 

o Currently, a pilot program offers specialized call, text and chat support for LGBTQI+ 

youth and people under the age of 25. 

• Anyone who calls, texts, or chats 988 is not required to say who they are or where they are to 

receive services from the 988 Lifeline. 

• In 2021, suicide was the second-leading cause of death for young people ages 10–14, and the fifth 

in people ages 35–54. Also in 2021, almost 107,000 drug overdose deaths occurred. 

Additional notes for reporters/editors 

• The 988 Lifeline Newsroom provides B-roll and other resources. 

• Also see 988 Lifeline FAQs. 

• Reporters and editors are encouraged to include the following language when reporting about 

suicide: If you or someone you know is struggling or in crisis, help is available. Call or text 988 

or chat 988lifeline.org.