In the News - RI Call Center Joins Nationwide 988 Day
Raising Awareness of the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline on 9/8
On Sunday, 9/8, Rhode Island’s 988 Call Center will join communities across the country in a day of awareness focused on the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration’s (SAMHSA) first annual 988 Day on September 8, 2024.
988 Day is helping to raise awareness of 988 in creative and meaningful ways within local communities. 988 Day is a key part of the broader September initiatives focused on suicide prevention and mental health awareness, such as National Suicide Prevention Month and Recovery Month.
Rhode Island’s participation will make a local impact by assuring everyone that they are not alone—anyone can text, chat, or call 988 anytime, 24/7, to connect with a skilled, caring, and nonjudgmental counselor. This year marks the first 988 Day, beginning an annual tradition on 9/8 and setting the stage for ongoing engagement and awareness of 988 across the United States.
This year’s National 988 Day theme is “No Judgment. Just Help,” to positively promote 988 and share the 988 Day awareness on social media using the hashtag: #988Day. Horizon Healthcare Partners encourages its partners and community members to join them in sharing this message within their own networks.
Horizon Healthcare Partners, along with our member agencies, is proud to be one of many organizations around the country raising awareness about the importance of seeking help and prioritizing mental health as part of 988 Day.
The vision of 988 nationally is a system that links callers to a full continuum of crisis care, which consists of 3 key parts: someone to talk to (24/7 crisis call centers), someone to respond (mobile crisis response teams), and somewhere to go (crisis respite and stabilization centers).
On July 22, 2022, the new national 988 line went live nationwide replacing the National Suicide Lifeline which operates the 10-digit number: (800) 273-TALK (8255). The 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline offers 24/7 call, text and chat access to trained crisis counselors who can help people experiencing suicidal, substance use, and/or mental health crisis, or any other kind of emotional distress. People can also dial 988 if they are worried about a loved one who may need crisis support. 988 is comprised of a national network of over 200 local crisis centers, combining custom local care and resources with national standards and best practices.
In Rhode Island, Horizon Healthcare Partners (HHP) subcontracts with BH Link to operate the local calls to 988. BH Link has been answering these calls since the summer of 2019, when the Department of Behavioral Healthcare, Developmental Disabilities and Hospitals (BHDDH), which funds BH Link, chose to take advantage of the fact that the center was already answering calls 24/7. HHP contracts with Community Care Alliance (CCA) to run both BH Link and the 988 Call Center.
Almost immediately, the percentage of Lifeline calls answered in-state jumped from one of the lower in-state rates to 98%, one of the best in-state call answer rates in the country, and that is making a difference in terms of helping people in need.
Additionally, 988’s physical placement within the BH Link ensures that there is a team of masters-level clinicians, nurses, peers, and frontline workers who can assist crisis counselors in responding to calls and who can offer 24/7, in-person assessment and referrals for people wanting immediate treatment.
The origins of 988 have Rhode Island roots, with RI’s own Senator Jack Reed coauthoring the legislation that Congress passed in October 17, 2020, creating the new 988 behavioral health hotline. The legislation, named the National Suicide Hotline Designation Act of 2020, directed the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to designate 9-8-8 as the universal telephone number for a national suicide prevention and mental health crisis hotline.
Timely access to crisis services saves lives. By offering immediate help to everyone who may need it, 988 provides invaluable support at critical times. Lifeline crisis centers help to ensure that gaps in local services and delivery areas are served and that all calls are answered 24/7/365 by individuals trained to handle suicidal, mental health, and substance use crises. -more- page 3 . . . RI Call Center Joins Nationwide 988 Day.
Since the launch in July 2022, nationally 10 million calls, texts and chats have been received, and here in Rhode Island the 988 and BH Link hotline has answered over 36,926 calls. Rhode Island boasts a 98% in-state answer rate, one of the best in the country. Additionally, the Rhode Island speed to answer time of 2 seconds means that callers are getting immediate and swift attention.
Horizon Healthcare Partners, with a generous grant from SAMSHA, will continue their public awareness efforts with the “988 Means Help” campaign that launched in May and consists of bus and billboard ads, social media ads and collateral material such as posters, youth stickers and informational cards. The campaign was created in both English/Spanish. Anyone interested in 988 public resource materials can contact 988 outreach staff at Horizon Healthcare Partners at 988RICommunity@gmail.com.
Horizon Healthcare Partners encourages all Rhode Islanders to assist in spreading the word about the resource of 988 to friends, family, colleagues and anyone they interact with that needs support. Help is just a phone/text or chat away. Just call or text 988 or chat 988lifeline.org. Visit https://www.hhpartners.org/988 for more information.
About Horizon Healthcare Partners: Community Care Alliance, Newport Mental Health, Thrive Behavioral Health, Tides Family Services, The Galilee Mission, Child & Family and CODAC are the seven behavioral health and substance use organizations that comprise HHP. The HHP agencies provide critical mental health and substance use services to individuals and families that are most vulnerable in local communities across the state.