New National Collaborative Aims to Improve Our National Response to People in Mental Health Crisis

National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) and Health Management Associates (HMA) Launch the National Collaborative for Crisis Systems Innovation

ARLINGTON, Va., May 12, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) and Health Management Associates (HMA) are proud to announce the launch of the National Collaborative for Crisis Systems Innovation, a new national initiative to advance sustainable, comprehensive behavioral health crisis care across the United States.

Building on four years of foundational work since the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline launched in 2022, the Collaborative will serve as a national hub for coordination, learning, and action. It will bring together public and private stakeholders to strengthen 988 and the broader behavioral health crisis continuum. Through cross-sector collaboration, innovation, and shared learning, the Collaborative will support states and communities in building coordinated, person-centered crisis response systems so that people experiencing a mental health crisis receive the care they need and deserve.

"Every person experiencing a mental health crisis deserves a response rooted in care, dignity, and support," said NAMI CEO Daniel H. Gillison Jr. "Since the launch of 988, our nation has made important progress, and this National Collaborative represents the next phase of that work, grounded in the belief that connection, caring, and community can help ensure that no one facing a mental health crisis feels alone and that every person can find a path to hope and healing."

Through the Collaborative, NAMI and HMA will help translate vision into practice, advancing a more responsive, trusted, and effective behavioral health crisis system nationwide. The Collaborative is designed to serve as a national hub for alignment, learning, and action in behavioral health crisis care, with a mission to advance connected and sustainable crisis systems nationwide by convening leaders, strengthening systems, and supporting innovation across the full crisis continuum.

"The launch of the National Collaborative for Crisis Systems Innovation reflects a critical next step for behavioral health crisis care nationwide," said Monica S. Johnson, Managing Director at Health Management Associates. "With the implementation of the 988 Lifeline, the system has made remarkable progress but sustainability, coordination, and innovation will be essential to ensure that progress endures. This Collaborative creates a trusted, cross‑sector space for public‑private partnership, connecting what's working and helping communities build crisis systems that are responsive today and resilient for the future."

The National Collaborative is designed not just to respond to today's challenges, but to help shape the future of behavioral health crisis care — with a focus centered around lived experience. The Collaborative will convene thought leaders and practitioners across sectors and support states, communities, and advocates in efforts to strengthen crisis systems. In the coming months, NAMI and HMA will engage key stakeholders and experts to identify and elevate the urgent needs in crisis response and ensure alignment on shared outcomes to improve crisis systems.

For more information, visit crisisinnovation.org.

The National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) is the nation's largest grassroots mental health organization, dedicated to improving the lives of individuals and families affected by mental illness. Through programs and services, NAMI challenges stigma, champions supportive policies, and supports and empowers individuals and families. NAMI's alliance of more than 650 local Affiliates and 49 State Organizations works to raise awareness, provide support and education, and build a better future for everyone affected by mental illness.

HMA is an independent, national research and consulting firm specializing in publicly funded healthcare and human services policy, programs, financing, and evaluation. We serve government, public and private providers, health systems, health plans, community-based organizations, institutional investors, foundations, and associations. With multidisciplinary consultants coast to coast, HMA's expertise, services, and team are always within client reach.

SOURCE National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI)