California has taken a significant step forward in crisis care by releasing its comprehensive five-year implementation plan for the 988 crisis system, developed under The Miles Hall Lifeline and Suicide Prevention Act (AB 988). Telecare's Lei Portugal Calloway was among 43 selected advisors on this initiative.

Seen above, Lei is celebrating the end of the PAG commitment with Stephanie Welch, Deputy Secretary of Behavioral Health California Health and Human Services, and two other PAG members in Sacramento.

“I was honored to have been chosen to lend my peer voice to the 988 Crisis Policy Advisory Group (PAG), their meetings in Sacramento, and the six virtual workgroups held throughout 2024,” Lei shares. “It’s because of this that I was able to identify a need and advocate for a 7th workgroup focusing specifically on the need for increased peer support and leadership, not only with the 988 Crisis Line and Crisis Care Continuum but peer support in general throughout California for the next five years and beyond.”

Her advocacy led to key recommendations for peer support services:

Increasing awareness of peer support in behavioral health crisis services
Expanding definitions to include peer-provided, peer-operated, and family peer support
Enhancing training and supervision resources for peer supporters

The plan aims to transform behavioral health crisis services through four key goals: