People in a mental health crisis have a new number to call – 998, the new Suicide and Crisis Lifeline that is modeled after the 911 emergency number. The number went live on Saturday and is designed to help people connect with mental health professionals.
Many people are also worried about being put on hold or not having enough people to support the number. There is concern that the transition from a 10 digit to a 3 digit phone may strain the lifeline. “Once you get that off the ground, there’s got to be somebody who answers the phone. It’s not good enough to get a busy signal or to be put on hold,” Xavier Becerra, the Secretary of Health and Human Services, said.
Before, many people said that the lifeline disconnected before they got help. According to a study by The New York Times, 18 percent of about 1 million phone calls in the first half of this year were abandoned. During the beginning of 2022, there were few phone calls, but only 42 percent of those were answered.
Although there have been several problems with the lifeline, there is data that shows that it has improved, with the response rate increasing to 74 percent in June and the average wait time declining from 16 minutes to 3 minutes.
Several million dollars have gone into funding the lifeline, and there are many nonprofits and volunteers working to build the lifeline. The funding also allowed it to create a Spanish network and digital messaging services.
https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2022/07/15/1111316589/988-suicide-hotline-number
https://s3.amazonaws.com/appforest_uf/f1658069695385x420016759723968800/The%20U.S.%20Has%20a%20New%20Crisis%20Hotline_%20988.%20Is%20It%20Prepared%20for%20a%20Surge%20in%20Calls_%20-%20The%20New%20York%20Times.pdf
Many people are also worried about being put on hold or not having enough people to support the number. There is concern that the transition from a 10 digit to a 3 digit phone may strain the lifeline. “Once you get that off the ground, there’s got to be somebody who answers the phone. It’s not good enough to get a busy signal or to be put on hold,” Xavier Becerra, the Secretary of Health and Human Services, said.
Before, many people said that the lifeline disconnected before they got help. According to a study by The New York Times, 18 percent of about 1 million phone calls in the first half of this year were abandoned. During the beginning of 2022, there were few phone calls, but only 42 percent of those were answered.
Although there have been several problems with the lifeline, there is data that shows that it has improved, with the response rate increasing to 74 percent in June and the average wait time declining from 16 minutes to 3 minutes.
Several million dollars have gone into funding the lifeline, and there are many nonprofits and volunteers working to build the lifeline. The funding also allowed it to create a Spanish network and digital messaging services.
https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2022/07/15/1111316589/988-suicide-hotline-number
https://s3.amazonaws.com/appforest_uf/f1658069695385x420016759723968800/The%20U.S.%20Has%20a%20New%20Crisis%20Hotline_%20988.%20Is%20It%20Prepared%20for%20a%20Surge%20in%20Calls_%20-%20The%20New%20York%20Times.pdf
