Headquarters Kansas updates Douglas County commissioners on 988/crisis line operations and staffing

Leaders from Headquarters Kansas, the nonprofit that operates the statewide 988 call center serving Douglas County, presented an update June 18 on staffing, call volumes, partnerships and operational changes since 988 launched in 2022.

Dan Watkins, interim executive director of Headquarters Kansas, said the agency has rebuilt operations over the past year and is collaborating with local partners, including Bert Nash and the Douglas County crisis response team. Carly Williams, director of quality assurance and compliance at Headquarters Kansas, described operational reforms, new staffing models and work to improve data tracking and outcomes measurement.

Nut graf: The presentation emphasized that the 988 transition changed volume and routing for crisis contacts and that local infrastructure matters: local telephone carriers route 988 calls differently, so Headquarters Kansas urged residents to keep the local crisis number in addition to 988 to ensure callers reach the local center and mobile response resources when needed.

What officials reported - Call volume and mobile response referrals: In 2024, Headquarters reported 444 mobile response referrals to Bert Nash (172 via 988, 272 via local lines). For 2025 through May 31, Headquarters reported about 15,600 total contacts: roughly 6,400 via 988, 2,800 via the local 841‑2345 line, and nearly 900 through Bert Nash’s bridal/TRC lines. Mobile response referrals so far this year numbered about 110 (roughly split between the local line and 988). - Staffing and training: The organization said it now employs a mix of staff — roughly 32 full‑time and 32 part‑time employees — and has expanded licensed clinical staff from one to five over the past year. Headquarters has restructured training so paid hires can enter counseling roles without first serving as long‑term volunteers; volunteer and internship pipelines are being rebuilt. - Operational upgrades: Headquarters reported new quality assurance and compliance teams, a new phone system and IT contracts, and plans to restore a donation‑based in‑house counseling clinic and expand community training and volunteer opportunities. - Geo‑routing limits for 988: Williams and other staff noted 988 geo‑routing depends on carrier infrastructure; calls from subscribers of major carriers (AT&T, Verizon, T‑Mobile) generally route to the most local center, but calls from smaller providers (Boost, Cricket and similar providers) may route to a nonlocal center. “That can be a really critical misstep,” Williams said, describing cases where new local residents calling 988 reached centers outside Douglas County and could not access local mobile response services.

Commissioners’ questions and next steps Commissioners asked how Headquarters ties funding to outcomes; Watkins said answer rate is a basic metric and that staff are further drilling into who calls, why, and whether callers receive referral and follow‑up resources. Carly Williams said Headquarters is working to improve clinical recordkeeping and to establish dashboards and outcome measures; officials said more robust outcome metrics remain a work in progress.

The item was for information only; no commission action was requested or taken.