Alaska

Careline, 988, and Public Behavioral Health Services in Alaska

By Dr. Stacey Forbes, DNP, APRN, PMHNP-BC

In much of Alaska, the question is not which clinic to choose but whether there is one within reach at all. That makes knowing the statewide pieces of the system — the ones that work anywhere there is a phone signal — more important here than almost anywhere else. This guide lays them out, from the first phone call to longer-term care.

Careline: Alaska’s own crisis line

Careline is Alaska’s statewide crisis and suicide prevention line. It is reached at 877-266-4357, or by texting or chatting 988, and it is available 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. Careline describes its support as free, confidential, and provided “by Alaskans, for Alaskans.”

Careline is also clear that you do not need to be thinking about suicide to call. People reach out when they are grieving, struggling with self-injury, in a crisis of any kind, or worried about someone else. For an Alaskan family, that last point matters: the person calling is often not the person in danger.

988 in Alaska

Calling or texting 988 is free and confidential, available 24 hours a day, and connects callers with a trained crisis counselor, according to the Alaska Department of Health. Spanish-language text support is available by texting “AYUDA” to 988. For anyone in immediate danger, 911 is still the right call.

• Careline: 877-266-4357, or text or chat 988 — free, confidential, and answered 24/7 by Alaskans.
• 988: call or text, 24/7.
• 911: immediate danger to anyone’s life or safety.

Crisis stabilization instead of a cell

Alaska’s mental health statutes now name crisis stabilization centers and crisis residential centers alongside hospitals and evaluation facilities. When a peace officer or health officer takes someone into custody for an emergency evaluation, AS 47.30.705 directs them to give priority to a crisis stabilization center or crisis residential center if one exists in their service area, and it bars placing the person in a jail except for protective custody while awaiting transport. These centers are not yet everywhere, but where they exist, the law points toward them first. For how emergency detention and commitment work, see the Alaska involuntary commitment guide.

Medicaid and Denali KidCare

The Alaska Department of Health says the easiest way to apply for Medicaid is through healthcare.gov, and Alaskans can also apply through Alaska Connect or by calling the Virtual Contact Center at 800-478-7778 (TDD or Alaska Relay: 7-1-1). Denali KidCare is the state’s health coverage program for children. Behavioral health services are part of Alaska Medicaid.

If you are covered by Medicaid or receive care through a tribal health organization, start with the providers available to you there. The Alaska Department of Health works with Tribes and Tribal Health Organizations to support community-based care and access to Medicaid — see Behavioral Health Aides and the Alaska Tribal Health System.

Where private telehealth care fits

Private practices, including telehealth practices like Willow & Stone, are not crisis services and do not replace Careline, 988, or local and tribal care. What they can offer is continuity with one clinician, and appointments that do not depend on a flight or a road being open. For Alaskans off the road system, or anyone whose follow-up appointments keep getting cancelled by weather, that can be the difference between a treatment plan that continues and one that stops after the first visit.

The practical combination for many families: Careline and 988 saved in every phone, local or tribal care where it is available, and a telehealth clinician for ongoing evaluation and medication management. See psychiatric care across Alaska.

Common Questions

Sources & Further Reading

• Careline Alaska
• Alaska Department of Health — 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline
• Alaska Department of Health — Apply for Medicaid
• Alaska Statutes 47.30.705 — Emergency Detention for Evaluation
• 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline