Individuals enrolled in Apple Health (Medicaid), Public Employees Benefits Board, and School Employees Benefits Board coverage - and those accessing behavioral health services - will not experience a disruption in care due to the federal government shutdown. In addition, health care providers will continue to be paid for the services they provide. We will continue to monitor the situation closely and share updates if anything changes.
In 2021, the Washington State Legislature passed HB 1477, establishing the Crisis Response Improvement Strategy (CRIS) Committee and Steering Committee. These committees, in partnership with seven subcommittees, developed legislative recommendations to support implementation of the national 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline and the statewide improvement of behavioral health crisis response and suicide prevention services.
Learn more about this work. Register to receive CRIS committee announcements.
The Washington State Legislature passed House Bill 1477 which directed the Health Care Authority (HCA), the Department of Health (DOH), and the Behavioral Health Institute (BHI) at Harborview Medical Center to create the Crisis Response Improvement Strategy (CRIS) Committee and Steering Committee. Both committees include legislatures, providers, consumers, and partner agencies.
Currently, the CRIS Committee meets quarterly and meetings are open to the public.
Read more about the committee members.
Learn about public comments at CRIS meetings.
| Date | How to join | Meeting materials |
|---|---|---|
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Tuesday, November 4 1 to 3 p.m. |
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Date |
How to join |
Meeting materials |
|---|---|---|
|
Monday, October 20 2 to 3 p.m. |
| Date | How to join | Meeting materials |
|---|---|---|
|
Monday, November 10 1 to 3 p.m. |
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Monday, December 8 1 to 3 p.m. |
| Committee | Date | Meeting materials |
|---|---|---|
| Lived Experience Collaborative | Monday, October 13 |
Meeting focus: This meeting will include a presentation from Kirkland Connections, a discussion of the future of the Lived Experience Collaborative, and community updates. |
| Lived Experience Collaborative | Monday, September 8 |
Meeting focus: This meeting will focus on Mobile Response and Stabilization Services (MRSS), upcoming topics for Lived Experience meetings, and community updates. |
| Lived Experience Collaborative | Monday, August 11 | |
| CRIS Committee | Thursday, August 7 | |
|
Lived Experience Collaborative |
Monday, July 14 |
Meeting focus: This meeting will focus on the Caller Bill of Rights and community updates. |
| Lived Experience Collaborative | Monday, June 9 | |
| CRIS Committee | Friday, June 6 |
Meeting focus: This meeting will focus on DOH and HCA updates, technical updates, tribal updates and Lived Experience updates. There will be time for public comment. |
| Lived Experience Collaborative | Monday, May 12 |
Meeting focus: This meeting will focus on updates from the CRIS Steering Committee, the future of the Lived Experience Collaborative, and legislative updates. |
| CRIS Steering Committee | Tuesday, May 6 | |
| Lived Experience Collaborative | Monday, April 14 |
Meeting focus: This meeting will focus on engaging lived experience input on the development of Mental Health Advanced Directive training, as well as discussion of the future of the Lived Experience Collaborative. |
| Lived Experience Collaborative | Monday, March 10 |
Meeting focus: This meeting will focus on legislative updates and the future of the Lived Experience group. |
| Lived Experience Collaborative | Monday, February 10 |
Meeting focus: This meeting will continue the discussion of ways to elevate lived experience voices to improve Washington’s behavioral health crisis system, as well as highlight behavioral health crisis bills in the 2025 legislative session. |
| Lived Experience Collaborative | Tuesday, January 21 |
|
Committee |
Date |
Meeting materials |
|---|---|---|
| Steering Committee | Monday, December 16 | |
| Lived Experience Subcommittee | Monday, December 9 |
Meeting focus: This meeting focused on the future of the Lived Experience Subcommittee and discussion about future meetings in 2025. |
| CRIS Committee | Wednesday, November 13 |
Meeting focus: This meeting focused on feedback on the draft Committee final report as well as discussing future plans for the CRIS in 2025. |
| Lived Experience Subcommittee | Tuesday, November 12 | |
|
Tribal listening session |
Monday, November 4 | |
| Lived Experience Subcommittee | Tuesday, October 15 |
Meeting focus: This meeting focused on the Lived Experience Stories Project, development of final CRIS Committee recommendations, and discussion of the Subcommittee's ideas for continued Lived Experience engagement in efforts to improve Washington's behavioral health crisis response. |
| Lived Experience Subcommittee | Monday, September 9 |
Meeting focus: This meeting focused on plans for the CRIS Committee in 2025, 988 Geo-routing implementation plans, and updates on the Lived Experience Stories Project. |
| CRIS Committee | Tuesday, September 24 |
|
| Lived Experience Subcommittee | Monday, August 12 | |
| Lived Experience Subcommittee | Monday, July 8 |
Meeting focus: This meeting focused on updates from the June 2024 CRIS Committee meeting and HCA Bed Registry Discovery Session. |
| CRIS Committee | Tuesday, July 16 |
Meeting focus: This meeting focused on learning about crisis work in Indian Country, as well as discussing cross system collaborations.
|
| CRIS Committee | Tuesday, June 18 |
Meeting focus: This meeting focused on learning about specific needs of and programs for youth and transitional-age youth experiencing a behavioral health crisis, as well as recommendations on which system expansions and improvements will best serve youth. |
| Lived Experience Subcommittee | Monday, June 10 |
Meeting focus: This meeting continued the discussion of ways to elevate lived experience voices to improve Washington's behavioral health crisis system, as well as focused on updates from HCA, the CRIS Stories Project, and a discussion on Substance use disorder (SUD). |
| Lived Experience Subcommittee |
Monday, May 13 |
Meeting focus: This meeting continued the discussion of ways to elevate lived experience voices to improve Washington's behavioral health crisis system, as well as focused on opportunities available in the community for our Lived Experience members to become more involved. |
| CRIS Committee | Thursday, April 18 |
Meeting focus: This meeting focused on identifying remaining gaps in the discussion of system performance metrics, specifically considerations for individuals with substance use disorder and rural and agricultural communities.
|
| Lived Experience Subcommittee | Monday, April 8 |
Meeting focus: Updates on the Washington 988 communications campaign and 988 Contact Hub rulemaking, as well as discussion of Substance Use Disorders and Crisis Response. |
| CRIS Committee | Thursday, March 28 |
|
| Lived Experience Subcommittee | Monday, March 11 |
Meeting focus: Continuing discussion of ways to elevate lived experience voices to improve Washington’s behavioral health crisis system, as well as highlighting behavioral health crisis bills in the 2024 legislative session and providing an update on the CRIS February 2024 meeting. |
| CRIS Committee | Tuesday, February 27 |
Meeting focus: Articulating a future state of performance metrics for the crisis response system.
|
| Lived Experience Subcommittee | Monday, February 12 |
Meeting focus: Continue the discussion of ways to elevate lived experience voices to improve Washington’s behavioral health crisis system, as well as highlight behavioral health crisis bills in the 2024 legislative session and provide an update on the CRIS January 2024 meeting. |
|
CRIS Committee |
Wednesday, January 31 | |
| Lived Experience Subcommittee | Monday, January 22 |
Meeting focus: Key behavioral health crisis bills for the 2024 legislative session, state agency crisis system improvement focus areas, and discussion of ways to elevate lived experience voices to improve Washington’s behavioral health crisis system. |
Members represent a diverse range of perspectives and serve in committee seats outlined by HB 1477. View the CRIS Committee and Steering Committee roster.
Originally, the Steering Committee formed seven CRIS subcommittees:
The CRIS Committee selected subcommittee members for their diverse community perspectives and professional expertise to help develop recommendations for an integrated behavioral health and suicide prevention system in Washington. Subcommittee work has now concluded, with the Lived Experience Collaborative and Tribal 988 Subcommittee continuing to meet monthly.
The Lived Experience subcommittee of the CRIS Committee engaged the CRIS Lived Experience Stories Project – a project aimed to elevate stories and perspectives of people across Washington state who have accessed behavioral health crisis services for themselves or someone else. These shared stories were brought into the work of the CRIS and informed the development of recommendations for improving the state behavioral health crisis system. For outcomes from this work, please see the CRIS Lived Experience Project Summary and video presentation.
All CRIS Committee meetings are public meetings. Members of the public are welcome and encouraged to share input. All public comments, whether submitted during or outside of committee meetings, will be considered by CRIS Committee and Steering Committee members.
There is an opportunity at each CRIS Committee meeting to share comments, and members of the public who wish to do so can email Bonnie Shelley, by noon one business day before the meeting. In addition, if you would like to submit a written comment, please email HCA Program 1477.
January 1, 2025: Final Report to the Governor and Legislature fulfilling requirements as set forth by RCW 71.24.892.
January 1, 2024: Third legislative progress report, including recommendations in 13+ areas outlined by the legislation.
January 1, 2023: Second legislative progress report
January 1, 2022: First legislative progress report, including result of a comprehensive assessment of the current behavioral health crisis response and suicide prevention services system, and preliminary recommendations related to funding of crisis response services from the Statewide 988 Behavioral Health Crisis Response and Suicide Prevention Line Account (Account).
Email: HCA Program 1477