photo by: Tim Carpenter/Kansas Reflector

The Lawrence-based HeadQuarters Kansas operates the 988 suicide crisis call center for all 105 counties.

HeadQuarters Kansas will retire its longtime Douglas County crisis line at the end of 2025 as it shifts fully to the nationally supported 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline.

According to a press release from HeadQuarters Kansas, the transition will consolidate all crisis support services under the 988 infrastructure, which will ensure sustainable and high-quality care for people in crisis in the state of Kansas. The transition will become effective on Dec. 31, 2025, and when individuals call the local line, 785-841-2345, they will receive a message instructing them to call 988.

From there, when individuals dial 988 from 102 counties in Kansas, including Douglas County, they will reach HeadQuarters Kansas counselors in Lawrence who understand Kansas communities and can connect callers to local resources.

Despite the discontinuation of the local line, community members will still reach the same Lawrence-based counselors when they dial 988. The service remains free, confidential, and available 24/7 via call, text, or chat. Callers will continue to receive compassionate support, safety planning, follow-up services, and referrals to Kansas-specific resources, the release said.

“This transition strengthens our foundation and ensures we can continue serving Kansans in crisis in years ahead,” Interim Director Dan Watkins said in the release. “With encouragement from our local and state partners, we’re consolidating our services under the nationally supported 988 system to provide greater long-term stability and sustainability.”

HeadQuarters Kansas’s dedicated line has previously been the state’s call center for 988 since the national line launched in 2022 serving 988 callers from 102 Kansas counties and being the backup 988 line for Johnson, Wyandotte and Sedgwick counties’ call centers.

As the Journal-World reported, approximately 80% of the staff of HeadQuarters last year signed a letter demanding the resignation of the entire board and interim executive director, citing concerns over potential misuse of grant funds. Shortly thereafter, the entire board and interim executive director resigned in July 2024.

In September, the organization announced that the nonprofit received a $3.25 million grant this year from the Kansas Department for Aging and Disability Services — a big step after the organization had to repay nearly $300,000 in misspent grant funding, including some from KDADS.

Ashley Servis, the nonprofit’s business specialist, previously told the Journal-World the organization has changed its personnel procedures and added more financial “checks and balances” to ensure that no one employee can get “too much access (to the finances).” Additionally, HeadQuarters Kansas hired a dedicated staff accountant and a human resources manager to oversee employee timekeeping practices.