Miss. Code Ann. § 41-20-53

It is the intent of the Legislature to:

(a) Save lives by improving access to appropriate services and supports to respond to behavioral health crises;

(b) Comply with the National Suicide Hotline Designation Act of 2020 and the Federal Communication Commission's rules adopted on July 16, 2020, to assure that all Mississippians receive a consistent level of 9-8-8 and crisis behavioral health services no matter where they live, work or travel in the state;

(c) Authorize the State Department of Mental Health to designate 9-8-8 crisis hotline center(s) that shall:

(i) Have an active agreement with the administrator of the NSPL for participation within the network;

(ii) Meet NSPL requirements and best practices guidelines for operational and clinical standards;

(iii) Report and participate in evaluations and related quality improvement activities;

(iv) Use technology, including chat and text, that is interoperable across emergency response systems used throughout Mississippi;

(v) Deploy crisis and outgoing services, including mobile crisis response teams, and coordinate access to crisis receiving and stabilization services and other local resources as appropriate and according to guidelines and best practices established by the NSPL;

(vi) Meet the requirements set forth by NSPL for serving high-risk and specialized populations as identified by SAMHSA, including training requirements and policies for transferring hotline callers to an appropriate specialized center or subnetworks within, or external to, the NSPL network;

(vii) Provide follow-up services to individuals accessing the 9-8-8 hotline consistent with guidance and policies established by the NSPL; and

(viii) Provide to the State Department of Mental Health and SAMHSA, as required, an annual report of the 9-8-8 suicide prevention and behavioral health crisis hotline's usage and the services provided;

(d) Appropriate the funds needed for the first year of 9-8-8 implementation and to make additional investments to enhance the crisis response system; and

(e) Maintain access to a statewide crisis system of care that is interconnected, effective and ensures a culturally and linguistically competent response to behavioral health crises.