New Mexico 988 operator asks Legislature for $9M to sustain 988, warm line and outreach

Protocol Services, the operator of the New Mexico Crisis & Access Line (NMCAL) and the state’s 988 call center, told the Legislative Health & Human Services Committee it is seeking sustainable funding of just over $9,000,000 for FY26 to preserve 988 crisis services, peer-to-peer warm-line support and digital outreach.

Rosella of Protocol Services said the organization has provided crisis and access-line services in New Mexico since 2013 and is accredited by AAS and CARF. Claire Carmoney, identified in the presentation as the center’s 988 manager, described the center’s staffing and operations: counselors are typically bachelor’s- or master’s-level behavioral-health professionals who receive a six-week training that includes New Mexico cultural responsiveness and local resource mapping. "We are the 988 contact center for New Mexico," Carmoney said, and the center handles calls, chats and texts statewide.

Carmoney and Paul Galloway, a certified peer support worker who described the peer-to-peer warm line, walked the committee through how calls are handled. Counselors gather optional demographic information, assess immediate safety, provide brief clinical interventions and help callers create safety plans before connecting them to ongoing care or local resources through a closed-loop referral tool called OpenBeds. Carmoney said the center performed about 1,400 outbound calls in August as part of evidence-based follow-up outreach and that transfers to 911 are uncommon — fewer than 3% of calls, she said.

Galloway described the warm line’s role as a nonclinical, lived-experience support channel used by frequent callers for emotional support and coping strategies; he noted a 2024 survey in which roughly 94% of respondents reported feeling supported after a warm-line contact.

The presenters demonstrated NM Connect, a free app that includes mood tracking, brief educational videos and a direct link to connect to 988, and described companion printed workbooks (adult and youth) created for people without reliable internet. The presenters said the operation also provides after-hours coverage for core service agencies and answers priority intercom calls (for example, Department of Transportation call boxes at scenic bridges), and that Protocol Services has entered MOUs with managed-care organizations so, with caller consent, care coordinators can follow up on referrals.

Committee members pressed for specifics: Representative Herndon and others asked for the precise dollar figure and budget breakdown; Rosella said the FY26 allocation the center is requesting is "just over $9,000,000," and that the majority of costs go to full-time staff for the call center and warm line. Members asked about language access; presenters said materials and the workbook are available in Spanish, callers can press 2 for Spanish when dialing 988, and they are working on additional language translations with local partners. Lawmakers also asked about how calls are routed (area-code-based routing can send callers to an out-of-state center if their phone area code is from another state) and the presenters said they partner with the national 988 network (Vibrant) and phone carriers.

The presenters repeatedly offered to provide committee members with district-level call data, staffing breakdowns (in-state vs out-of-state counselors) and app-usage statistics after the hearing. The committee did not take a formal vote on the funding request during this session; presenters were asked to provide follow-up figures and cost breakdowns to inform budget deliberations.

Next steps: Protocol Services committed to supplying more detailed budget and operational data by ZIP code and staffing location at lawmakers’ requests; the committee signaled interest in follow-up information as it considers FY26 allocations.