9-8-8 Bill Signing Celebration in Sedgwick County with Governor Kelly

Gov. Laura Kelly will join Sedgwick County leaders and mental health professionals for a 9-8-8 Bill Signing Celebration on Monday, July 11, 2022, at 11:30 a.m. on the third floor of the main courthouse, 525 N. Main. This meeting will broadcast live on the Sedgwick County YouTube and Facebook pages.

Starting July 16, callers in Kansas and across the country will be able to dial 9-8-8 to directly reach the suicide prevention hotline for help with those in a mental health crisis. The hotline will be available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. The operation is supported by $10 million in annual appropriations from the state.

“I am so proud that Sedgwick County’s COMCARE Crisis Center is playing a crucial role in this 9-8-8 hotline. Our team of behavioral health professionals always stands ready to answer calls for help,” says David Dennis, Chairman of the Sedgwick County Board of County Commissioners. “COMCARE’s team of trained specialists helps those in a mental health crisis and is able to provide support to assist the caller through this critical time. The ultimate goal is to prevent even one suicide in our community. I especially want to thank the crisis call specialists for the vital lifesaving work they do.”

Sedgwick County COMCARE provides a wide array of mental health and substance abuse services to residents of Sedgwick County. COMCARE is the largest of the 27 Community Mental Health Centers in the State of Kansas and serves over 19,000 individuals in the community with the help of community partners. To learn more about Sedgwick County COMCARE, please visit https://www.sedgwickcounty.org/comcare/.

To learn about the 9-8-8 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline from Kansas Department for Aging & Disability Services, please visit https://kdads.ks.gov/kdads-commissions/behavioral-health/988-suicide-crisis-lifeline.

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