Sedgwick County Comcare hopes to expand 988 crisis line

WICHITA, Kan. (KSNW) — In the last two years, the 988 crisis line has received millions of calls, texts and chats nationwide.

Locally, Sedgwick County’s COMCARE fielded nearly 3,000 last year and has answered 1,683 calls since January 2024.

Regina Stout, Comcare Community Crisis Center program manager, said they’re working on some expansions that could help more people.

Right now, Comcare only accepts calls, but it’s working to get text and chat capabilities to connect to those in need. They’re also working to get geo-routing to connect people to local help.

“So right now, 988 is based on your area code, so anyone who has a 316 number, and they call 988, will be routed to Comcare Sedgwick County,” Stout said. “However, we have a lot of individuals in our county that do not have 316 numbers, and they are being routed to wherever their home area code is.”

Stout said there’s no set date for when the county will get the location technology.

They hope to start accepting texts and chats by the end of the year.

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