In Idaho, the Department of Health and Welfare's Division of Behavioral Health acts as the state behavioral health authority, and Magellan of Idaho runs the Idaho Behavioral Health Plan for Medicaid members and other residents. If you're in crisis, call or text 988 to reach the Idaho Crisis and Suicide Hotline, which can also send a Mobile Response Team to you anywhere in the state. NAMI Idaho offers free support groups and classes for people with mental health conditions and their families.
Idaho also runs adult crisis centers in each of its seven regions and youth crisis centers in four cities, and you don't need a referral to walk in.
Idaho is large and mostly rural, so the state has built crisis care that doesn't depend on reaching a hospital. Adult behavioral health community crisis centers are open 24 hours a day in all seven regions, including a rural network with sites in Moscow, Lewiston, and Orofino. Youth crisis centers in Idaho Falls, Twin Falls, Boise, and Nampa serve kids ages 5 to 17 for free, and Mobile Response Teams dispatched through 988 cover the whole state. Magellan of Idaho is the managed care organization for the entire state and provides crisis response and mental health services even to people who aren't eligible for Medicaid. Psychiatry training is based in Boise, where the University of Washington runs a residency focused on rural and underserved care.
Crisis lines
- 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline. Call or text 988 anywhere in the United States, including from Idaho. Free and confidential, 24 hours a day. For chat, visit 988lifeline.org.
- Idaho Crisis and Suicide Hotline. Idaho's own 988 center, answering calls, texts, and chats 24 hours a day for crisis, suicide, substance use, and emotional distress. Call or text 988 and ask for a Mobile Response Team if you or someone you love needs in person help.
- 211 Idaho CareLine. The state's free information and referral line for local help with food, housing, mental health, and more. Dial 211 or 800-926-2588, or text 898211, Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Mountain time.
Crisis care and mobile crisis
- Behavioral Health Crisis Resources (Idaho Department of Health and Welfare). The state's list of adult community crisis centers, open 24 hours a day in each of Idaho's seven regions, with phone numbers for each. For example, the Northern Idaho Crisis Center is at 208-625-4884 and the Behavioral Health Crisis Center of East Idaho is at 208-522-0727.
- Youth crisis centers. Free, voluntary crisis centers for youth ages 5 to 17 in Idaho Falls, Twin Falls, Boise, and Nampa, open 24 hours a day with no referral needed. Kids can stay for up to 23 hours and 59 minutes while families regroup.
State mental health authority
- Idaho Division of Behavioral Health. The Department of Health and Welfare's behavioral health division, covering adult behavioral health, children's behavioral health, substance use disorders, and suicide prevention. Start here to find state programs and how to get services.
- Magellan of Idaho (Idaho Behavioral Health Plan). Magellan administers the Idaho Behavioral Health Plan, which coordinates mental health and substance use benefits for Medicaid members and other Idaho residents. Members can call 1-855-202-0973 (TTY 711) 24 hours a day, and the site has a provider search.
NAMI Idaho
- NAMI Idaho. The state NAMI organization and its local affiliates run free Connection and Family Support Groups, online and in person, plus classes such as NAMI Basics, Family to Family, and Peer to Peer. Check the site's calendar for groups near you or online.
Treatment locators
- FindTreatment.gov. SAMHSA's confidential locator for mental health and substance use treatment. Search by ZIP code to find licensed programs in Idaho.
University and academic medical centers
Idaho's MD training runs through Idaho WWAMI, a partnership with the University of Washington School of Medicine, and its psychiatry residency is based in Boise.
- University of Washington Boise Psychiatry Residency Program. A four year, ACGME accredited psychiatry residency in Boise that trains psychiatrists to care for rural and underserved communities in Idaho. Most of its graduates go on to practice in the state.
- Idaho WWAMI Medical Education Program (University of Idaho). Idaho's medical school partnership with the University of Washington School of Medicine, with the first 18 months of training in Moscow and clinical training across Idaho. It's a training program, not a clinic, so it won't see patients directly.