Wyoming 988 Bill Advances

The Wyoming Senate Labor, Health and Social Services Committee voted 3-2 Monday to adopt House Bill 65, which sets a July 1 deadline for the state Department of Health to designate crisis centers to provide 24/7 988 crisis call center services. The bill also gives the Health Department flexibility in providing mobile crisis response teams, testified Andi Summerville, Wyoming Association of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Centers executive director. It also would provide immunity for telecom providers similar to what they have for 911, she said. Wyoming was the last state in the nation to set up in-state crisis call centers, Summerville said, noting the call centers that went live in August 2020 have to date handled more than 10,000 calls. State Health Department Director Stefan Johansson said the state has funded Lifeline operations through summer 2025. He said there was a proposal in the House for a trust fund, but that was stripped out and instead Health is to bring standard budget requests annually. A variety of supporters testified about the bill, including the Catholic Diocese of Cheyenne, the Wyoming Business Alliance and the Wyoming School Boards Association.