How Does Connecticut’s 988 Hotline Rank ?

Connecticut’s 988 Crisis Lifeline Services

A new report showed Connecticut’s 988 crisis lifeline services rank highly. The report is from Inseparable, a national mental health advocacy group. It examined how to close gaps in the mental health continuum of care, starting with 988 and crisis response. Since the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline transitioned to a shorter number, Connecticut saw a 125% call increase in the first year.

The Impact on Callers and Staff

Tanya Barrett, senior vice president of 211 Health and Human Services for the United Way of Connecticut, said it is hard but rewarding work to hear calls all day from people in distress.

We make a really big effort to make sure that we’re giving our staff the resources to be able to decompress, de-stress. And to really understand their impact and how their impact is actually impacting other people’s lives.

She added once they understand how important their work is, they can readily pick up the next call. Barrett feels policymakers should maintain a strong workforce pipeline to keep staffing levels up, as Connecticut’s 988 expands to include chat and text services. She noted a different population tends to use the texting option. If you or someone you know is in crisis, call or text the National Suicide and Crisis Lifeline at 988.

Challenges and Solutions

The report argued national improvements can create a well-rounded crisis response system. Angela Kimball, chief advocacy officer for Inseparable, pointed out one challenge to improving a crisis response is diversifying its funding sources. She added another big challenge is lawmakers developing the proper administrative structure.

You have to have statutes and regulations that allow you to have a crisis receiving and stabilization facility, not just a hospital emergency department. That doesn’t happen without changing the law.

Mental health and substance use disorder-related emergency department visits cost the U.S. more than $5.5 billion dollars in 2017. Kimball observed people end up in packed hospital emergency departments, where they could wait for days to be placed in appropriate care.

Disclosure: Inseparable contributes to our fund for reporting on Criminal Justice, Health Issues, Mental Health, and Social Justice. If you would like to help support news in the public interest, click here.

get more stories like this via email