Behavioral Health Services

• South Dakota Community Mental Health Center Flyer
• Mental Health Services Brochure
• Justice Involved Services for Youth Flyer
• OnTrackSD

Advocacy Resources:

• Disability Rights South Dakota is a non-profit legal services agency dedicated to protecting and advocating for the rights and inclusion of South Dakotans with disabilities.

Peer Support Resources:

• National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) is the nation’s largest grassroots mental health organization dedicated to building better lives for millions of Americans affected by mental illness. NAMI provides advocacy, education, support and public awareness so that all individuals and families affected by mental illness can build better lives.
  • NAMI, South Dakota

Community Resources & Crisis Response:

• Helpline Center connects individuals to community supports and resources, offers volunteer opportunities, and also provides accessible care and support for anyone experiencing mental health-related distress, suicide crisis, or substance use, including families bereaved by suicide loss.
  • 211 Helpline
  • Volunteer Connections
  • Suicide and Crisis Support

Educational Resources:

• South Dakota Parent Connection (SDSC) is a nonprofit organization that connects families who care for individuals birth to age 26 with disabilities or special heath care needs to resources and training opportunities.
• National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) is the lead federal agency for research on mental disorders.
• Serious Mental Illness Adviser offers clinicians and providers with education, data and consultations to make evidence-based treatment decisions. Individuals and families are also offered resources and information from national experts.
• Mental Health.gov provides one-stop access to U.S. government mental health and mental health problems information.
• Substance Abuse & Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) offers information and videos to reduce the impact of substance use and mental health challenges in communities.
• Yankton Area Mental Wellness, Inc. (YAMWI) had its beginning in 1999 when a mental health conference was established in Yankton, South Dakota. The conference continues to be held annually the first part of June.

Substance Use Disorder & Recovery Support Services

The Division of Behavioral Health contracts with accredited substance use disorder treatment agencies across the state to provide quality services to both adults and youth. Services include screenings and assessments, early intervention, detoxification, outpatient and inpatient treatment services. Funding assistance may be available, contact your local treatment agency for more information. Learn about available substance use disorder services below.

• List of Treatment Agencies and Services
• Substance Use Disorder Services Flyer
• Substance Use Disorder Services Brochure
• Justice Involved Services for Adults Flyer

Driving Under the Influence (DUI) Program

The South Dakota Public Safety DUI Program provides DUI offenders 18 years of age and older classes that revolve around education and prevention of driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs. The Division of Behavioral Health does not provide financial assistance for fees associated with the classes.

• South Dakota DUI Agencies

Recovery Support Services:

Supported Housing is designed to address the recovering person’s need for a safe and healthy living environment as well as provide other needed services to support the journey of recovery.

• Supported Housing Flyer

Peer Support Resources:

• Face It Together provides confidential, evidence-based peer coaching for those impacted by addiction, including loved ones.

• South Dakota Lottery: Play Responsibly

• Intensive Methamphetamine Treatment Services Brochure

Pregnant Women and Women with Dependent Children (PPW)
Pregnant women and women with dependent children is a specialized treatment service that offers evidence-based programming for this unique population who have a substance use disorder. This program allows for long- term support, which includes a stable living environment through the duration of treatment. This program can assist in supporting the client’s participation in psychiatric and medical care, childcare needs, parent education and child development, employment services and job training, as well as treatment interventions.

Support Services for Pregnant and Parenting Women

See Also:

• South Dakota Community Mental Health Center Flyer
• Substance Use Disorder Services Flyer
• Supported Housing Flyer

A person with a serious mental illness can be involuntarily committed if they meet the statutory criteria in SDCL 27A-1-2.

For more information regarding the commitment process, see SDCL 27A or contact your local county board of mental illness for procedures in your area.

• List of County Board of Mental Illness
• Mental Health Involuntary Commitment Road map

A person with a substance use disorder can be involuntarily committed if they meet the statutory criteria in SDCL 34-20A-70.

For additional information regarding the commitment process, see SDCL 34-20A or the Substance Abuse Road maps below

• Substance Use Disorder Involuntary Commitment Process Brochure
• A Road map of South Dakota’s Substance Use Involuntary Commitment
• Substance Use Commitment Road map for Family and Friends

The Department of Social Services, Division of Behavioral Health and the Unified Judicial System created a short video and workbook outlining the role and responsibilities of attorneys in the substance use disorder involuntary commitment process, including the procedures to be followed. View the video and download a copy of the workbook below.

• Substance Use Disorder IVC Attorney Video
• Substance Use Disorder IVC Attorney Workbook

Substance use prevention places a focus on helping people develop the knowledge, attitude, and skills they need to make good choices about harmful behaviors of substance misuse or abuse. Each substance use prevention provider tailors prevention efforts around the needs of their community, using effective community-based, school-based and/or individual evidence-based programs.

• Anyone. Everyone. Meth Campaign
• Avoid Opioid Campaign
• Screening, Brief Intervention, and Referral to Treatment (SBIRT) Education Portal
• Substance Use Prevention Services
• South Dakota Community Support Toolkit for Meth Prevention
• SAMHSA's Substance Use Prevention Publications

Are you or a loved one experiencing a behavioral health crisis? Call, text or chat 988 to connect with a trained crisis specialist 24/7 for free and confidential support.  When dialed from a 605-area code, 988 will be routed to the Helpline Center, South Dakota’s only 988 Suicide Crisis Lifeline. 

Calling 988 is available in English and Spanish and uses Language Line Solutions to provide translation services in over 250 additional languages.

Texting 988 is currently available in English only.

Chatting 988 (English only) is available through the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline’s website at 988lifeline.org/chat.

• South Dakota Suicide Prevention

The Veterans Crisis Line connects individuals to caring, qualified responders within the Department of Veterans Affairs, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Many are Veterans themselves and you don’t have to be enrolled in VA benefits or heath care to connect.

• Dial 988 and Press 1
• Text 838255
• Chat online

LGBTQI+ people under 25 can access 24/7 LGBTQI+ support on 988. To call an LGBTQI-trained crisis counselor, dial 988 and then press 3. To text, send the word PRIDE to 988. To chat, you can opt-in on the Pre-Chat Survey by checking off the box for LBGTQI+ support.

Appropriate Regional Facilities (ARFs) are designed to provide 24/7 overnight residential services to stabilize acute psychiatric or behavioral health symptoms, evaluate treatment needs and develop a crisis stabilization plan affording the ability for individuals to be stabilized closer to home.

During the 2020 Legislative Session SDCL 27A-10.1.2 passed allowing other types of providers to seek designation and provide services as ARFs.

During the 2021 Legislative Session, Senate Bill 144 and 186 passed to support behavioral health crisis stabilization.

• SB 144
• SB 186

As a result of the passing of Senate Bill 144, the Department of Social Services contracted with Pennington County to establish an ARF.

During State Fiscal Year 2022, one-time general funds were used for the purpose of continuing to invest in ARFs. Through the Request for Proposal process, the following contracts were awarded for the purpose of construction of ARFs.

• Lewis & Clark Behavioral Health Services
• The Human Service Agency

Governor Noem’s 2021 budget address included $15,000,000 in federal funding from the American Rescue Plan Act funding to support the development and expansion of ARFs.
For more information:

• Behavioral Health Service Delivery Transformation
• Behavioral Health Short-Term Crisis Stabilization Capacity

During State Fiscal Year 2023, federal funding from the American Rescue Plan Act was used to support the development and expansion of ARFs. Through a Request for Proposal process, the following contracts were awarded.

• Avera McKennan Hospital
• Avera St. Luke's
• Behavior Management Systems
  • Service Delivery
  • Infrastructure Support
• Dakota Counseling Institute
• Lewis & Clark Behavioral Health Services

The Virtual Crisis Care program provides probation and law enforcement with 24/7 access to behavioral health professionals who can assist in responding to people experiencing a mental health crisis.

Avel eCare, our partner in virtual services, provides immediate services to local police, sheriffs, and other law enforcement. Tablets with the software are made available to departments to assist in de-escalation, stabilization, and safety assessment on location. This service provides timely access at a substantial savings to departments, communities, and the state.

Hear firsthand from law enforcement and providers throughout the state providing eCare on how it’s being implemented and the process Virtual Crisis Care.

These crisis response options work to increase connection to services in rural and urban communities throughout South Dakota, strive to prevent future crisis situations, reduce the pressure on emergency departments and hospitals by resolving crises on location where the individuals are, and help reduce direct law enforcement involvement.