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Headquarters Kansas reports 988 call growth, staffing and operational reforms in Douglas County update
Summary
Leaders from Headquarters Kansas briefed commissioners on 988 and local crisis‑line operations, reporting increased call volume, new staffing and quality‑assurance steps, and continued coordination with Bert Nash and local mobile response teams.
Commissioners received an information briefing from Headquarters Kansas on Wednesday about 988 and local crisis‑line operations, staffing reforms and local partnerships that support Douglas County’s mobile crisis response.
Dan Watkins, interim executive director of Headquarters Kansas, and Carly Williams, director of quality assurance and compliance, described operational changes made over the past year to stabilize the organization that handles 988 and the local crisis line. The presenters said Headquarters now serves more than 100 of Kansas’s 105 counties while maintaining a sustained focus on Douglas County crisis calls and referrals.
Carly Williams said Headquarters answered just over 37,000 contacts in 2024: about 16,300 through 988, roughly 8,800 through the local 841‑2345 number and nearly 900 calls routed from Burton Ash’s crisis line. For the current year (data pulled mid‑May), she reported about 15,600 contacts received so far, with roughly 6,400 via 988 and 2,800 via the local number. Williams also reported that 444 mobile response referrals went to Bert Nash in 2024, with 72 routed from 988 and 272 from local lines; through mid‑year this year the group had recorded about 110 mobile response referrals split roughly evenly between local lines and 988.
Williams emphasized that 80% of crisis contacts can be resolved over the phone by a crisis counselor, reducing the need for in‑person response. She also warned that dialing 988 does not always route callers to the geographically nearest center, depending on the caller’s wireless carrier; Headquarters recommends retaining the local number (841‑2345) because geo‑routing differences can send some callers to nonlocal centers.
Watkins and Williams said Headquarters has increased paid staffing and professionalized training and supervision. Williams reported 32 full‑time and 32 part‑time staff now on payroll and that the organization has grown the number of licensed clinical staff (from one last year to five). She described investments in training, quality assurance, a new phone system, IT contracts, financial controls and a generator to maintain 24/7 coverage.
Watkins said Headquarters is rebuilding partnerships with local providers, accepting calls from the Treatment and Recovery Center for triage, and continuing work with the county’s mobile response teams. Commissioners asked about outcome measurement and how funding ties to results; Watkins and Williams said answer rates and caller breakdowns (who is calling and why) are primary operational metrics and that Headquarters is working to improve dashboards and track follow‑up and repeat contacts more reliably.
Commissioners praised the progress described in the annual report and the presenters’ transparency about past instability and reforms. The item was informational only; no commission action was required.
