Purpose

This bill focuses on improving how Minnesota tracks and reports on suicide prevention efforts and on how the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline operates within the state. It sets up formal evaluation schedules, adds requirements for 988 Lifeline centers, and builds stronger coordination between crisis services, emergency response, and mental health providers.

Main Provisions

• Periodic evaluations and reporting

  • The commissioner must regularly evaluate the impact and outcomes of Minnesota’s suicide prevention plan and related activities.
  • A full report on these evaluations must be produced and shared with the chairs of the relevant House and Senate health and human services committees by July 1 of each even-numbered year (and there was a historical note about July 1, 2002 in the text).

• 988 Lifeline oversight and operations

  • The commissioner will administer the designation and oversight of a 988 Lifeline center or a network of centers to handle calls, texts, or chats from anywhere in Minnesota 24/7.
  • Each designated 988 Lifeline Center must:
  • Have an active agreement with the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline program and meet its operational and clinical standards.
  • Provide data, reports, and participate in evaluations and quality improvements.
  • Use technology that can work across mobile crisis services and public safety answering points (PSAPs) in Minnesota.
  • Help coordinate crisis services, including mobile crisis teams.
  • Coordinate with mental health and substance use disorder treatment providers and emergency departments, community mental health centers, and mobile crisis teams.
  • Offer follow-up services to people who contact the Lifeline, following 988 Lifeline guidelines.
  • Serve at-risk and specialized populations according to program requirements.

• Information sharing and public messaging

  • The commissioner may adopt rules to allow appropriate information sharing across crisis and emergency response systems.
  • The commissioner will work with the 988 Lifeline program, the veterans crisis line, and other SAMHSA-approved networks to keep public messaging about 988 services consistent.

• Coordination with 911 and national standards

  • The commissioner will collaborate with 988 Lifeline centers, PSAPs, public safety agencies, and the public safety commissioner to develop protocols for interactions between 988 and 911 services in Minnesota, following national standards and guidelines.

• Reporting on 988 Lifeline use

  • The commissioner must publish a public report on 988 Lifeline usage every even-numbered year (biennially) by July 1, including data like answer rates, abandoned calls, and referrals to 911.
  • This 988 Lifeline report may be included in the state suicide prevention report required under the existing statute.

Significant Changes to Existing Law

• Adds formal, biennial (even-numbered year) reporting on the outcomes of suicide prevention activities.
• Establishes centralized oversight of a 988 Lifeline center or network in Minnesota.
• Requires 988 centers to meet specific programmatic, data, technology, and coordination standards.
• Creates rules for information sharing across crisis and emergency response systems.
• Requires coordinated public messaging and development of 988–911 interaction protocols following national standards.
• Mandates regular reporting on 988 Lifeline usage and integration of that data into broader suicide prevention reporting.

Implementation & Oversight

• The commissioner (likely the state health agency) is responsible for implementing these provisions, including evaluations, data collection, rulemaking for information sharing, and public reporting.
• Collaboration is required with the 988 Lifeline program, veterans crisis line, SAMHSA-approved networks, public safety answering points, and other public safety agencies.

Potential Impacts

• Improved tracking of the effectiveness of Minnesota’s suicide prevention efforts.
• Stronger, more consistent services and follow-up for people in crisis through a standardized 988 Lifeline network.
• Better coordination between crisis services, emergency response (911), hospitals, and mental health providers.
• More transparent public reporting on crisis services usage and outcomes.

Relevant Terms - suicide prevention plan - periodic evaluations - biennial reports - 988 Lifeline / 988 Lifeline Center - Suicide and Crisis Lifeline - mobile crisis teams - public safety answering points (PSAPs) - 911 services - interoperable technology - data and reports - information sharing - quality improvement - operational and clinical standards - SAMHSA-approved networks - veterans crisis line - at-risk populations / specialized populations - public messaging - protocols and procedures for 988–911 interactions - national standards and guidelines