New mental health hotline strives to make care more accessible nationwide

A new 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline has launched nationwide, with the intent to strengthen and transform crisis care in America, according to U.S. Department of Health and Human Services officials.

The 988 system will build on the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline, which is an existing network of over 200 crisis centers nationwide staffed by counselors who answer millions of calls each year — about 2.4 million in 2020. Calls to the old lifeline, 1-800-273-8255, will go through even with 988 in place.

“If we can get 988 to work like 911 … lives will be saved,” Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra said Friday.

The shortened number was first proposed in a report to Congress in 2019 by the Federal Communications Commission.

Individuals can call or text. Trained counselors will respond and help connect those in crisis with resources in their local area, HHS officials said.

Patricia Lewis, director of behavioral health services at Excela Health, said she believes the new approach will be utilized more than the previous one.

“When you’re so despondent that you’re thinking about ending your life … you’re just not going to have the wherewithal to really stop and think like, ‘What was that hotline number?’ ” Lewis said. “That’s where I think the 988 will definitely help.”

Related:

• What to know about 988 — the new national mental health hotline
• Texting option weighed for upcoming '988' suicide hotline

Providing the workforce to support the change is a significant challenge, according to HHS officials, because “there’s a need across the country” for more staff members in crisis centers.

A RAND Corp. survey published last month found that less than half of state or regional public health officials were confident about being ready for 988, which is expected to generate an influx of calls.

Nearly 60% said call-center staffers had specialized suicide prevention training; half said they had mobile crisis response teams available 24/7 with licensed counselors; and less than one-third had urgent mental-health care units.

Still, Lewis believes 988 will help put people in touch with programs and resources they might not find otherwise.

“Sometimes people just don’t know how to reach out to get services,” she said.

HHS officials said the lifeline was able to answer 17,000 more calls, 37,000 more chats and 3,000 more texts this June than in June 2021.

And Lewis said she believes younger people are more tolerant and accepting of mental health services, compared to older people who might be used to dealing with personal issues without seeking assistance.

The covid-19 pandemic provided a new perspective for many as well, she said.

“Absolutely, there’s a stigma,” Lewis said. “I think the pandemic really opened a lot of eyes about (what) we need to do better to meet mental health needs. I think it was a wake-up call for a lot of people.”

Covid-19 brought mental health concerns to the forefront because of how much of the population was affected by grief from isolation, loss and related experiences, Lewis said.

“Will it ever be enough?” Lewis said of mental health services. “I hope at some point that it is.”

In the first full year of 988, the lifeline is expected to receive “at least double” 2021’s total of 3.6 million calls, chats and texts, according to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, a branch of Health and Human Services.

Becerra said Friday that the pandemic made it clear that there was “no choice but to act right away.”

The Associated Press contributed to this story.