On September 1, 2026, the Pennsylvania Departments of Human Services (DHS) and Corrections, and the Pennsylvania Insurance Department (PID) recognized National Suicide Prevention Month and, alongside advocates and crisis response professionals, highlighted the statewide Suicide Prevention Plan. The plan is a two-year, multi-agency action plan aimed at addressing the mental health needs of all Pennsylvanians and decreasing suicide rates in the Commonwealth.

The Suicide Prevention Plan for Pennsylvania, A Culture of Support and Action, is a collaboration of more than a dozen state agencies and the Governor’s Affinity Commissions that outlines shared goals, provides resources for those seeking help with a mental or behavioral health crisis, and highlights Pennsylvania’s alignment with the National Strategy for Suicide Prevention.

The Suicide Prevention Plan for Pennsylvania is written by the state Suicide Prevention Task Force. State agencies contributed to the plan by developing goals and action steps specific to the audience they serve. The plan focuses on three shared goals across all agencies:
-Improving access to and use of suicide data, including and especially for populations at increased risk.
-Improving partnerships between the state agencies and other entities engaged in suicide prevention efforts at the state and local levels.
-Increasing efforts to collaborate around suicide risk and protective factors, as part of upstream suicide prevention.

The 2026-27 budget includes $10 million in first-ever dedicated state funding for 988 and the 14 call centers in Pennsylvania that answer calls, texts, and chats for those experiencing a mental health crisis. In 2025 alone, more than 145,000 Pennsylvanians reached out to 988, and more than 90 percent of those calls were resolved over the phone instead of requiring mobile crisis response or a crisis walk-in center.

When Pennsylvanians need somewhere to go, crisis walk-in centers are an essential component of addressing a behavioral health emergency, prioritizing safe and appropriate care for the individual’s circumstances. Emergency behavioral health walk-in crisis centers provide immediate, accessible, and specialized care for anyone experiencing a mental health crisis and provide intensive 24-hour crisis de-escalation and referrals for follow up. This year’s $5 million investment to maintain mental health crisis walk-in centers will prioritize regions with limited access to immediate, in-person care and strengthening collaborations among hospitals, community providers, and local responders.