On July 16, 2022, the US rolled out a new 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline. Today's episode takes a closer look at that new resource and how it will help individuals who are struggling with suicidal thoughts, drug and alcohol addiction, and mental health crises. The new number plans to use the caller's area code to reroute the call to a local resource whenever possible. Today's episode will share information about current and potential funding, the relationship to the 911 number, and how the 2 numbers differ and occasionally overlap.
NPR - The new 988 mental health hotline is live. Here's what to know
Substance Abuse and Mental Health Administration SAMHSA
SAMHSA Frequently Asked Questions
mickieteaches@gmail.com
www.mickieteaches.com
On July 16, 2022, the US rolled out a new 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline. Today's episode takes a closer look at that new resource and how it will help individuals who are struggling with suicidal thoughts, drug and alcohol addiction, and mental health crises. The new number plans to use the caller's area code to reroute the call to a local resource whenever possible. Today's episode will share information about current and potential funding, the relationship to the 911 number, and how the 2 numbers differ and occasionally overlap.
NPR - The new 988 mental health hotline is live. Here's what to know
Substance Abuse and Mental Health Administration SAMHSA
SAMHSA Frequently Asked Questions
mickieteaches@gmail.com
www.mickieteaches.com
Mickie 0:00
In 2020, alone, the US had one death by suicide every 11 minutes for people between the ages of 10 and 34. Suicide as a leading cause of death, and from April 2020 to 2021, over 100,000 individuals died from drug overdoses. The problem is staggering. And I personally know people who have died from drug and alcohol overdoses. I don't think there's anybody out there that this problem hasn't touched in one way or another. Do you know anyone in a crisis like this, these incredibly horrifying statistics are from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration SAMHSA, S A M H S A.org. And clearly these statistics support a strong need for a uniform easily accessed number that individuals can reach in an emergency. So today, we're going to take a look at that 988 Number, how it works, what the resource provides and how it will make a difference in your loved one's life if you find that that person is in a mental health, suicidal or substance abuse crisis. So welcome to College, Disabilities, and Success. Episode 73. What you need to know about The New 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline by Mickie Hayes. The opinions in this podcast are my own, please reach out to your college physician or legal services for additional information.
Mickie 1:43
On July 16, the 988 suicide and crisis lifeline rolled out According to NPR Health Correspondent Rhitu Chatterjee in an article entitled, The New 988 Mental Health Hotline is Live. Here's What to Know, the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline was modeled after 911 and is designed to be a memorable and quick number to connect people who are suicidal or in some sort of mental health crisis. According to NPR, the Biden administration has invested more than $400 million to beef up crisis centers and mental health services in order to support the 988 number. The reason for the 988 number is because the 911 number that all of us are used to dialing in an emergency is not really set up to address the mental health needs of individuals when they call so hopefully the new 988 extension will become a much more efficient, effective help for individuals who are suicidal and have mental health emergencies. According to psychologist Benjamin Miller, president of Wellbeing Trust, if you look at the data from the police, about 20% of their total staff time is spent responding and transporting individuals who are experiencing a mental health crisis. Just last year, more than 2 million people with serious mental illnesses were booked in jail and nearly a quarter of fatal shootings by the police in recent years have involved people with mental illness. So the goal ultimately of the 988 number is to reduce the confrontations that people had with the police and to get them the mental health help that is needed right away. The idea for the 988 number has been in the works for a few years. According to the NPR article in 2020, President Donald Trump signed into law a bipartisan bill to create this number to respond to all mental health crises. And it's a joint effort by the Department of Health and Human Services, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration and the Department of Veterans Affairs. In the meantime, the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline 10 digit number, the 1-800-273-8255 will still be active but those calls will be rerouted to 988. And then the people who make those calls should be hopefully connected to a trained counselor at a crisis center that's near them. According to Chuck Ingoglia, the CEO of the National Council for Mental Wellbeing. 90% of people can get what they need from the phone call and so the remaining 10% of the people will need additional support or in person care and the train counselors should be able to connect them to that care. The hope is that the 988 number and its rollout will spur communities to develop more in person crisis support centers and facilities and resources for people who are in distress. Now according to Health and Human Services, the original 800 Number the lifeline received 3.6 million calls, chats and texts, but a 2021 report found that the current system was all be able to respond to 85% of the calls 56% of the text and 30% of the chats. And so they're hoping that with a nine eight number and the additional funds that the federal government is investing in this service and in the network will make a huge difference connecting people to mental health resources. President Biden's administration has dedicated $432 million, up 24 million towards building the capacity for local and backup call centers and providing additional services. And that is a very significant increase. The centers are able to hire new staff and to expand the capacity of their services. as more information becomes available to the 988 number. The SAMHSA website has some frequently asked questions that I recommend you check out now I've pulled a couple that I thought would be pertinent to today's conversation, but please go there and look at their questions and figure out what questions will help you the most is 988 only for suicide-related crises? The answer is the lifeline responds 24/7 to calls, chats or texts from anyone who needs support for suicidal mental health and or substance abuse crisis and connects those in need with trained crisis counselors beginning July 16, 2022. This will be true for those who access the lifeline via the 988 dialing code.
Mickie 6:26
What happens when I call 988 Starting July 16, 2022. When calling 988 callers first hear a greeting message while their call is routed to the local lifeline network crisis center based on the caller's area code, a trained crisis counselor will answer the phone, listen to the caller, understand how their problem is affecting them, provide support and share resources if needed. If the local crisis center is unable to take the call, the caller will automatically be routed to a national backup Crisis Center. The lifeline provides live crisis center phone services in English and Spanish and uses language line solutions to provide translation services in over 250 additional languages for people who call 988 If not eight routers call by area code. What happens if a person is in crisis and calls from a cell phone number that doesn't reflect the area code where they are located? The answer says currently the calls are routed to the closest center based on the area code of the cell phone being used. Samsa and federal partners are exploring opportunities to address more accurate routing of calls, a counselor may ask a caller for their location in an emergency situation or to provide local referrals. There's a question about what happens when you chat. 988 And another question about what happens when you text 988 How is 988 different from 911988 was established to improve access to crisis service in a way that meets our country's growing suicide and mental health-related care needs. 98 will provide easier access to the lifeline network and related crisis resources which are distinct from the public safety purposes of 911. where the focus is on dispatching Emergency Medical Services fire and police as needed will 90 Day calls be referred to 911. Currently, a small percentage of lifeline calls require activation of the 911 system when there is an imminent risk to someone's life that cannot be reduced during the lifeline call. In these cases, the crisis counselor shares information with 911 that is crucial to saving the caller's life. If I call 988 will first responders like the police or EMS be automatically dispatched? The answer to that is the primary goal of the Lifeline is to provide support for people in suicidal crisis or mental health-related distress in the moments they need it most in a manner which is person-centered. The vast majority of those seeking help from the lifeline do not require any additional interventions at that moment. Currently, fewer than 2% of lifeline calls require connections to emergency services like 911. Well, some health and safety issues may warrant a response from law enforcement and or emergency medical services. Namely when a suicide attempt is in progress. The 988 coordinated response is intended to promote stabilization and care in the least restrictive manner. There are several other questions that are also pertinent to 988. about access and the cost of the services, the language it's available in. There's questions about the federal and state roles in funding and frequently asked questions about call routing, privacy and network functioning. There are a ton of helpful questions with regards to The 988 suicide and crisis lifeline. So if you need more information, all of these links will be included in today's show notes so that you can get direct access to the SAMSA website, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, website and all the information that you need regarding what to expect when you know someone or you're in a situation where you personally need to make the call. 988 is the start of a new era. But it is a long road ahead and it's going to take time for 988. To reach its ultimate goal. According to advocates, it's going to take a considerable amount of state funding and federal funding and legislation to become fully operational. According to the NPR article, the 2020 law allows states to pass legislation to add a small fee to cell phone bills as part of a permanent source of funds for 988 and mental health services. As of this recording, only four states have added that fee to the cell phones and only two other states have legislation in the works right now.
Mickie 11:11
The hope is that once 988 rolls out that as the need becomes more apparent the funds will be there, more and more states will begin the process of passing legislation to support this funding. The new rollout of the 988 suicide and crisis Lifeline is so very important to all of us. Please feel free to share this link with anyone you know who may need more information. College students are particularly vulnerable to mental health and suicidal and drug and alcohol crisis situations. Next week, I will be following up with a podcast about a particular college in California that has started its own mental health and substance abuse program with a mobile crisis unit so that they can present a coordinated effort to support the students on campus. So there are lots of resources is starting and developing for students in a mental health crisis. So please, please reach out to those people that you know who need additional help and support. I hope you found value in today's podcast, all of the resources that I mentioned will be in the show notes so you can access those very easily. If you have any further questions, please reach out to me. I'm at Mickieteaches.com, M I C K I E teaches.com. Or you can email me at Mickieteaches@gmail.com. That's M I C K I E teaches@gmail.com. In the meantime, I hope you have a great rest of the day and we'll talk again soon. Bye. Information contained throughout this podcast has been gleaned from my own personal experiences, but to ensure accuracy, please contact the Disability Services at the college of your choice to have firsthand information and the most up-to-date policies and procedures followed for your particular institution of higher education. The content in any of these podcasts is not intended as a substitute for information from legal, educational or medical professionals. Always seek the advice of your attorney or qualified health care provider with any questions you may have with regards to legal educational or medical concerns.
Transcribed by https://otter.ai