Pa. mental health services get $10 million boost from state budget

Gov. Josh Shapiro on Friday praised Lehigh County crisis intervention hotline operators as he touted $10 million investment of state funds into Pennsylvania’s mental health system.

Part of the money from Shapiro’s 2026-27 budget will help expand the 988 mental health crisis hotline network by adding staff to handle text and chat conversations, the preferred mode of contact for many young people seeking emergency mental health support.

“For too long, mental health has been an afterthought in many conversations. Too many Pennsylvanians felt that there was a stigma associated with talking about it. With more people talking about it, particularly young people, who are speaking up in big ways, in really honest ways, about mental health, that’s helping us eliminate this stigma and provide more support,” he said.

Before the move, Pennsylvania’s 988 program was entirely federally funded. Shapiro toured the Crisis Intervention Center in Allentown before announcing the funding, calling the county program “a model of exceptionalism” in the commonwealth.

Craig Taylor, a crisis counselor who answers 988 phone calls, said the hotline is crucial to helping people who are feeling overwhelmed and alone, known triggers for suicide.

“We are elated that this level of funding and support is going to allow us to cast this safety net even wider,” Taylor said.

Gov. Josh Shapiro speaks at the Lehigh County Government Center on Friday, July 31, 2026, in Allentown to highlight the mental health investments included in the 2026-27 budget. Those investments include $10 million in state funding to support 988, the National Suicide and Crisis Lifeline, and $5 million for mental health crisis walk-in centers. (April Gamiz/The Morning Call)

Craig Taylor speaks as Gov. Josh Shapiro and Department of Human Services Secretary Dr. Val Arkoosh visit Lehigh County Government Center on Friday, July 31, 2026, in Allentown to highlight the mental health investments included in the 2026-27 budget. Those investments include $10 million in state funding to support 988, the National Suicide and Crisis Lifeline, and $5 million for mental health crisis walk-in centers. (April Gamiz/The Morning Call)

Department of Human Services Secretary Dr. Val Arkoosh and Gov. Josh Shapiro visit Lehigh County Government Center on Friday, July 31, 2026, in Allentown to highlight the mental health investments included in the 2026-27 budget. Those investments include $10 million in state funding to support 988, the National Suicide and Crisis Lifeline, and $5 million for mental health crisis walk-in centers. (April Gamiz/The Morning Call)

Lehigh County Executive Josh Siegel speaks as Gov. Josh Shapiro and Department of Human Services Secretary Dr. Val Arkoosh visit the Lehigh County Government Center on Friday, July 31, 2026, in Allentown to highlight the mental health investments included in the 2026-27 budget. Those investments include $10 million in state funding to support 988, the National Suicide and Crisis Lifeline, and $5 million for mental health crisis walk-in centers. (April Gamiz/The Morning Call)

Gov. Josh Shapiro and Department of Human Services Secretary Dr. Val Arkoosh visit Lehigh County Government Center on Friday, July 31, 2026, in Allentown to highlight the mental health investments included in the 2026-27 budget. Those investments include $10 million in state funding to support 988, the National Suicide and Crisis Lifeline, and $5 million for mental health crisis walk-in centers. (April Gamiz/The Morning Call)

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Shapiro was joined by Department of Human Services Secretary Dr. Val Arkoosh and Lehigh Valley state Reps. Pete Schweyer and Mike Schlossberg.

Arkoosh said increasing the number of call centers statewide that can use text messaging and chats to communicate with people in crisis is key.

Since the 988 program began accepting texts in late 2023, there was an 188% increase in the number of requests for help via text. Counselors handle an average of 5,000 texts each month, a number that is growing, Arkoosh said.

“So it’s extremely important that we have more centers that can handle these types of communications,” she said.

Shapiro called Schlossberg, who has been open about his struggles with mental health, “our collective conscience” on such issues.

“His willingness to be open and honest has brought together the bipartisan coalition that allowed us to get this $10 million funding, and it’s going to allow us to handle more calls from people who are in need,” Shapiro said.

Schlossberg noted that in the first two years that 988 was available in Pennsylvania, there was an 11% decrease in suicides among person aged 15 to 34. He spoke briefly about his past struggles with mental health, and said it was important that counselors like the ones in the room for Shapiro’s speech, and not chatbots, handle the texts that are sent from people in crisis.

“We can’t lose track of the human connection. And that’s what you folks do. You are not an algorithm or a Google search. You’re a voice on the other end of the line,” he said. “What you do works.”

The budget also includes an additional $5 million for walk-in behavioral health crisis stabilization centers, prioritizing rural areas with limited access to immediate, in-person care.

There are 14 crisis call centers in Pennsylvania. Some serve multiple counties. Together, they handle 145,000 calls. Since the 988 hotline was launched in 2022, crisis intervention centers statewide have seen a 110% increase in the number of calls.

Lehigh County’s crisis intervention center has about 30 staff. Before Lehigh County launched its 988 program in March 2025, calls were answered by counselors in Butler County.

Lehigh County crisis intervention counselors have answered nearly 3,000 calls and assisted with more than 6,000 crisis cases, said County Executive Josh Siegel. Each call lasts an average of one hour, Siegel said, and 98% were resolved without involving police or emergency medical services.

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