Department
Behavioral Health and Development Disabilities
Requested Action (Identify appropriate Action or Motion, purpose, cost, timeframe, etc.)
title
Request for renewal of a MOU between Fulton County, Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities, and Way Shape Form to provide the Text 4 Help text line and application technologies along with 24/7 clinical support services and resources. The MOU will be effective upon approval by the Board of Commissioners from January 1, 2026, until December 31, 2026.
body
Requirement for Board Action (Cite specific Board policy, statute or code requirement)
In accordance with Purchasing Code Section 102-394(6), the Purchasing Department shall present all renewal requests to the Board of Commissioners at least 90 days prior to the contract renewal date or 60 days if the contract term is six (6) months or less.
Strategic Priority Area related to this item (If yes, note strategic priority area below)
Health and Human Services
Commission Districts Affected
All Districts ☒
District 1 ☐
District 2 ☐
District 3 ☐
District 4 ☐
District 5 ☐
District 6 ☐
Is this a purchasing item?
No
Summary & Background (First sentence includes Agency recommendation. Provide an executive summary of the action that gives an overview of the relevant details for the item.)
To address the opioid crisis in Fulton County, the Board of Commissioners implemented a strategy to develop, implement, evaluate, and sustain a multi-faceted, county-wide effort to prevent opioid abuse, addiction, overdose, and death. In its on-going efforts to combat the opioid crisis, the Fulton County Board of Commissioners on December 21, 2022, entered into an agreement with Linking Efforts Against Drugs (“LEAD”), an Illinois not-for-profit corporation, to implement its TextForHelp.app program, which is now called “Text 4 Help.”
The Text 4 Help program is aimed at middle and high school students in Fulton County and allows individuals to send confidential text messages to a dedicated number and receive an immediate response from a licensed mental health professional, which then enables the person sending the text messages to conduct a conversation with the professional while remaining confidential during the process. Way Shape Form, Inc. has served as the subcontractor managing both the technical and clinical components of the Text 4 Help line for LEAD during FY2023 and FY2024. As of May 1, 2025, all aspects of the program are conducted by Way Shape Form and LEAD has transitioned out.
Scope of Work: Text 4 Help Program: Way Shape Form, in coordination with its technical and mental health partners, shall provide its Text 4 Help program in Fulton County, Georgia through a confidential texting hotline using a dedicated toll-free number that will only be in used in Fulton County, Georgia. Along with the confidential texting line, a Fulton County specific app will also be available for persons wanting to use the app instead of the text line. The app will allow wider resources and services for Behavioral Health & Developmental Disabilities. Way Shape Form shall ensure that a system back-up or redundancy is in place to minimize system failure or loss of data. Clinical Services: Way Shape Form shall contract with and oversee qualified clinicians to provide mental health crisis intervention services through the Text 4 Help platform in accordance with applicable federal and state laws, regulations, and professional standards, including but not limited to: Ensuring all clinicians providing services maintain current and appropriate licenses in Georgia, verifying credentials of all clinicians prior to their engagement, implementing and maintaining clinical protocols and standards of care for crisis intervention, conducting regular quality assurance reviews of clinical services, managing clinical documentation in compliance with applicable laws and professional standards, providing 24/7 clinical coverage to respond to incoming messages within defined response time parameters.
Community Impact: To address mental health and substance use issues for middle and high school students within the Fulton County School District.
Department Recommendation: Recommend the approval of the Board of Commissioners to approve the Contractor Way Shape Form
Project Implications: None
Community Issues/Concerns: None
Department Issues/Concerns: None
Fiscal Impact / Funding Source
Funding Line 1:
100-755-8226-1113