Why HMA and NAMI Are Building the Next Chapter of Crisis Care
Key Takeaways
- In October 2026, the National Collaborative for Crisis Systems Innovation, a partnership between HMA and NAMI, released its Strategic Plan & Implementation Roadmap.
- The plan focuses on four priorities (Awareness, Access, Capacity, and Quality) to strengthen the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline and the full behavioral health crisis continuum through early 2028.
- Launched in May 2026, the Collaborative brings together advocates, government leaders, philanthropic organizations, providers, people with lived experience, families, researchers, and technical experts to turn crisis policy into practice.
When the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline launched in July 2022, I had the privilege of serving as the inaugural director of the 988 & Behavioral Health Crisis Coordinating Office at SAMHSA. I saw firsthand what three simple digits could mean for someone on the worst day of their life. I also learned something every crisis leader eventually comes to understand: A number is only as strong as the system behind it.
Four years later, communities across the country are still working to build that system. States and localities face inconsistent access to robust crisis lines, workforce shortages, financing challenges, gaps in coordination across systems, and uncertainty around policy, leadership, and funding transitions. Too many people still can’t get the full continuum of crisis care when they need it most.
That’s why I’m so proud that HMA and NAMI joined forces in May 2026 to launch the National Collaborative for Crisis Systems Innovation. The Collaborative is a national hub for alignment, learning, and action in behavioral health crisis care. It gives partners a shared forum to identify common priorities, elevate what’s working, and turn vision into practice.
Our mission is clear: Ensure that every person experiencing a behavioral health crisis can access timely, compassionate, and effective support by advancing connected, sustainable crisis systems and driving collaboration and innovation across the full crisis continuum.
What Are the Four Priorities of the Crisis Care Strategic Plan?
This month, the Collaborative released its Strategic Plan & Implementation Roadmap, which lays out how we’ll move from concept to action through early 2028. The plan is built around four mutually reinforcing priorities, namely:
- Awareness: People know what to do and where to turn in a crisis.
- Access: The system people reach out to is fully available in every community.
- Capacity: There are enough crisis responders to help every person in need.
- Quality: Every person gets quality care, no matter how they enter the crisis system.
None of these priorities stands on their own. Awareness means little if help isn’t available when someone calls, texts, or chats. Access falls short without a workforce to answer. And capacity only matters if people receive high-quality care. Moving all four forward together is how we build a crisis system that people can trust.
What Is HMA’s Role in Strengthening Crisis Systems?
At HMA, our behavioral health team works alongside state agencies, communities, providers, and payers to turn crisis policy into services people can actually reach. Through the Collaborative, we bring that on-the-ground perspective together with NAMI’s deep connection to people with lived experience and their families. Together, we convene advocates, government leaders, philanthropic organizations, providers, people with lived experience, families, researchers, and technical experts, so the people closest to the work help shape where it goes next.
Our goal is to provide a stable, trusted platform for shared learning, cross-sector coordination, and forward-looking leadership. Over the long term, that means boosting national awareness of the 988 Lifeline, catalyzing innovation, ensuring continuity through periods of change, and leading with consistency. That last point matters now more than ever. Crisis systems can’t afford to start over every time leadership, policy, or funding shifts.
The Work Continues
Helping bring 988 to communities across the country was one of the greatest honors of my career. But 988 was never meant to be the finish line. It was the starting point for a crisis care system that is coordinated, equitable, sustainable, and trusted. I’m grateful to our partners at NAMI and to my HMA colleagues for carrying this work forward. The work continues, and I hope you’ll join us.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the National Collaborative for Crisis Systems Innovation?
The National Collaborative for Crisis Systems Innovation is a national hub for alignment, learning, and action in behavioral health crisis care. HMA and NAMI launched it in May 2026 to help partners identify common priorities, elevate what’s working, and turn vision into practice.
What does the Strategic Plan & Implementation Roadmap include?
The plan outlines the Collaborative’s vision, mission, priorities, and early focus areas, and shows how the Collaborative will move from concept to action through early 2028. It is built around four mutually reinforcing priorities: Awareness, Access, Capacity, and Quality.
How does the plan support the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline?
The 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline made crisis support easier to locate, but a number is only as strong as the system behind it. The plan is designed to boost national awareness of 988 and strengthen access, workforce capacity, and quality across the full crisis continuum, so people get effective care no matter how they enter the crisis system.
Who participates in the Collaborative?
The Collaborative convenes advocates, government leaders, philanthropic organizations, providers, people with lived experience, families, researchers, and technical experts, so the people closest to the work help shape where crisis care goes next.
How does HMA help states and communities strengthen crisis systems?
HMA’s behavioral health team works alongside state agencies, communities, providers, and payers to turn crisis policy into services people can actually reach. Through the Collaborative, HMA provides a stable, trusted platform for shared learning, cross-sector coordination, and continuity through periods of leadership, policy, or funding change.
Learn More
Download the National Collaborative for Crisis Systems Innovation Strategic Plan & Implementation Roadmap to explore the Collaborative’s vision, mission, priorities, and early focus areas through early 2028. For more information, visit crisisinnovation.org.
To talk with HMA about strengthening crisis systems in your state or community, connect with our behavioral health team.
By Monica Johnson, MA, LPC, Managing Director, Health Management Associates
