Building A Crisis Response System In Rural Vermont: The Northeast Kingdom Human Services Case Study

November 20, 2025

1:00 – 2:00 pm ET

With the demand for crisis response services rising—and with state and federal funding fueling expansion—crisis care has become one of the fastest-emerging service lines in the field. Strategic opportunities in this area present growth paths for organizations prepared to expand or add those services.

During this one-hour live presentation, Kelsey Stavseth, Executive Director, and Josh Burke, Director of Emergency Services, will share how Northeast Kingdom Human Services (NKHS) built its crisis care continuum in rural Vermont. The current NKHS crisis system focuses on integrated, person-centered care across the continuum of mental health and co-occurring crisis services. The system includes 24/7 mental health and co-occurring urgent care (The Front Porch), a mobile crisis team, a 988 call center, and embedded mental health and co-occurring specialists within law enforcement agencies.

Mr. Stavseth and Mr. Burke will showcase NKHS’s journey in creating a system that blends evidence-based practices, technology, private philanthropy, data, peer support, and hospital diversion to offer comprehensive, crisis mental health and co-occurring services under one organization in one of the most rural parts of the United States.

Executive attendees of this session will learn about:

Business operations, including how pay incentives boost staff retention, how technology adoption improves quality and volume, and how partnerships between state and private philanthropy elevate the 988 program
Staffing patterns, including how cross-training and support drive outcomes
Peer support, including how peer support bolsters staffing, improves programming, and transforms crisis work

Featured Speakers

Kelsey Stavseth, Executive Director, Northeast Kingdom Human Services

Kelsey is the executive director at Northeast Kingdom Human Services (NKHS), a nationally award-winning organization that provides mental health, substance use, and developmental disability services across the lifespan. NKHS serves all Vermonters through suicide prevention and crisis support at the 988-call center, offering innovative programs and support to those living in the three counties of the Northeast Kingdom of Vermont. He is also the co-president of Vermont Care Partners, a statewide network of sixteen non-profit community-based agencies that provide mental health, substance use, and intellectual and developmental disability services and supports.
Josh Burke, Director of Emergency Services, Northeast Kingdom Human Services

Josh Burke leads a comprehensive continuum of crisis programs, including mobile crisis, Vermont’s 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline Center, and The Front Porch mental health urgent care and stabilization program. Drawing on more than 15 years of behavioral health experience, Josh has developed a reputation for advancing innovative, community-based crisis responses that reduce reliance on emergency departments.

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