From Oct 31, 2022 post
After signing a bipartisan bill to fund the statewide suicide prevention hotline 988 earlier this year, Governor Laura Kelly today announced her appointments to the 988 Coordinating Council. The Council will advise the Kansas Department for Aging and Disability Services (KDADS) on the implementation of the 988 hotline.
This round of appointments are as follows:
- Patrick Fucik, National Director of State Government Affairs for T-Mobile, Overland Park
- Nicolas Wood, Associate Director of InterHab, Topeka
- Monica Kurz, VP of External Programming, Kansas Suicide Prevention HQ, Shawnee
- Dr. Russell Klumpp, Major/Bureau Chief, Topeka Police Department, Berryton
- Kenneth Nelson, GIS Section Manager at Kansas Geological Survey, Lawrence
- Andy Brown, Behavioral Health Services for the Kansas Department for Aging and Disability Services Topeka
- Sheriff Gene Ward, Sheriff of Seward County, Liberal
- Zack Odell, Chief Executive Officer at S&T Communications, Colby
- James “Paul” Davis, Director of Emergency Services for Johnson County, Gardner
- Colin Thomasset, Chief Executive Officer at Wheat State Healthcare, Topeka
- Molly Perkins, Case Manager with Johnson County Government Mental Health, Olathe
“We are helping Kansans access the resources they need in times of crisis,” Governor Laura Kelly said. “988 is a critical step forward as we invest in improving our mental health system in Kansas and the entire nation. I am confident in my appointees to maintain this valuable resource as more Kansans begin to take advantage of it.”
9-8-8 is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week via call, text, or chat. All phone service providers are required to connect callers who dial 9-8-8 to the Lifeline.
Original source can be found here
