HI SB1472

Appropriates funds to expand and enhance the Hawaii CARES Crisis Helpline, which handles increased call volume from the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline (988 calls increased significantly after the July 2022 transition to the three-digit code).

Funds crisis intervention services including high-quality crisis counseling, in-person mental health intervention as alternative to law enforcement, improved care coordination, and expanded tele-crisis support technology.

Expands crisis mobile outreach services in each county by adding on-call medical consultation and establishing preventive youth crisis teams to respond to law enforcement requests for behavioral health assessment of youth exposed to traumatic events.

Provides funding to acquire a 16-bed crisis residential shelter facility for youth stabilization and to add 40 adult stabilization beds across all counties to prevent hospitalizations and homelessness.

Establishes 19 full-time equivalent positions to support operations of new certified community behavioral health clinics on Kauai, Maui, and Hawaii islands.