we, 988 Crisis Line upon Say ahh! Just as we begin 2022. Now that it’s been two years since it was introduced, we want to revisit the Crisis Line and see where we stand.
As a reminder, the National Suicide Hotline Designation Act of 2020 designated 988 as the new number for the National Mental Health Crisis Hotline, replacing the previous 10-digit number. To date, 988 is 9.8 million Of the three methods of contact – calls, texts, and chats – detailed monthly data shows that calls are the most common method of contact, with texts a distant second. Analysis by KFF It shows that contacts to the crisis line increased by 33% between 2022 and 2023. The call line also has a sub-network for specialised help. LGBTQ+ people and VeteransThis accounted for approximately one-fifth of the network’s total contacts during its first year.
Nationwide call statistics are widely available from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). Vibrant Emotional Health (crisis line service providers), and other organizations. State-specific data is hard to find and difficult to evaluate, but Vibrant Emotional Health Monthly Key Performance Indicators KPIs are set for each state, with call response rate within the state being the main indicator.
We will be looking later in the summer at what state-by-state data is available and what it tells us, but while we are seeing increases across the country; Rhode Island They have been particularly successful in achieving a 98% call answering rate, meaning that calls are answered by someone in the state, rather than being transferred to a crisis center in another country. To back this up, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) now Proposed Rules A solution that implements georouting rather than geolocation to help wireless network carriers provide faster, more localized response to emergency calls. Today, calls are routed based on the caller’s area code, which may or may not match a physical location. Georouting means that calls are routed based on where the call originated from, but it is different from geolocation. Geolocation gives emergency responders an exact location (See pages 6 and 7). This has become an important debate in the mental health field due to concerns that geolocation technology could lead police to respond inappropriately and overinstitutionalize people experiencing a behavioral health crisis.
When it comes to Medicaid, unfortunately we don’t find much evidence that states are taking advantage of it. Medicaid Funding It will directly support each state’s 988 call center lines, according to KFF. Medicaid is unlikely Crisis care services are covered more than other behavioral health service categories, such as residential, outpatient, and substance use disorder (SUD) care services, but the American Rescue Plan Act does not provide coverage for these services. State option to increase funding To support Medicaid programs for payment for mobile crisis services. To date, 17 states have been approved by CMS to adopt the ARPA Mobile Crisis Services option (AL, AZ, CA, CO, DC, IN, KS, KY, MA, MT, NY, NC, OR, VT, WV, WA, WI). People taking advantage of exemptions and planning grants.
Two years after its implementation, the designation of 988 as the national emergency number has proven to be an overall positive change with an increase in call volumes, but the efficiency of the system and funding flow remain challenges for states. We will continue to look more closely at state-specific data on 988 to explore this issue in more detail.
