It’s been one year since the official launch of the new national suicide prevention and mental health crisis lifeline, 988.
While call centers have been able to respond to increased call volume, state officials and lawmakers say there’s more work to do to ensure that people can get in-person help quickly, if needed.
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The Los Angeles-based nonprofit Didi Hirsch Mental Health Services, the lead crisis center agency supporting the lifeline in California, reported that hundreds of trained counselors at 12 crisis centers across the state handled more than 280,000 contacts from calls, chats and texts since 988 launched last July.
California’s in-state call volume increased 28% during the lifeline’s first year, according to Didi Hirsch.
‘We have to build that capacity’
More than just a new number to call for mental health crises, 988 is ultimately supposed to be a rethinking of how we respond to psychiatric emergencies, with someone to call, someone to respond and somewhere to go.
While the ‘someone to call’ aspect of the 988 plan seems to be meeting the need, L.A. County has struggled to increase the number of mobile response teams and placements for people experiencing a mental health crisis to address demand.
The L.A. County Department of Mental Health (DMH) has the goal of eventually having unarmed mental health crisis response teams working 24/7/365, but the agency has struggled to hire and retain enough staff. Families who call for help with a loved one in crisis often say they wait hours or even…
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