Colorado crisis call center set to lay off 330 employees in Denver

The Rocky Mountain Crisis Partners call center is preparing to lay off the majority of its staff after seemingly losing out on the procurement of a new contract with Colorado's Behavioral Health Administration (BHA).

The nonprofit announced the upcoming permanent layoffs of 330 employees in a Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act (WARN) listing on May 1. The layoffs will take place on June 30, according to the notice the organization filed with the state. These employees are based out of its headquarters in Denver.

The organization had been contracted by the BHA since 2011 to provide crisis and suicide call center services to Colorado residents. The call center was then appointed as the state's official 988 Lifeline center in 2022 following the federally-mandated part of the National Suicide Hotline Designation Act of 2020 in which each state became required to have a call center that puts callers in contact with a live counselor.

The contract with the state for the operation of the three-digit crisis line service ends on June 30 and the new contract was ultimately awarded to an out-of-state vendor, according to Cheri Skelding​​​​, Rocky Mountain Crisis Partners' chief program officer.

“330 Coloradoans will be put out of a job for a homegrown behavior health organization that helps shape the status of crisis services in Colorado to an out-of-state vendor," Skelding said.

Around 90% of the non-profit's funding comes from the state's contract, she estimated, meaning the loss of the new contract will lead to the end of the organization's 14-year existence.

BHA noted that while the procurement was previously awarded to a currently unnamed vendor, the finalization has not occurred due to an ongoing protest.

"A Notice of Intent (NOI) has been sent to the applicant that received the highest score on their proposal, but the procurement process is ongoing as the Colorado Department of Human Services (CDHS) analyzes and responds to a protest that was received to the award," a spokesperson with BHA said. "No formal award has been made, and will not be made until any and all protests have been resolved."

"It is important to note that 988 and Colorado Crisis Services lines are continuing to operate during the re-procurement process and beyond," the spokesperson said.

Though the award has not been finalized, Rocky Mountain Crisis Partners is still preparing for layoffs and upset.

“I can say that we were extremely heartbroken, shocked and disappointed in the direction in which crisis services appear to be moving in Colorado,” Skelding said.