988 is New National Suicide Prevention, Emergency Mental Health Hotline as of July 16

988 is New National Suicide Prevention, Emergency Mental Health Hotline as of July 16

Posted on February 8, 2022

(CW: Suicidal Ideation) Specifically, 988 calls will be answered by trained crisis counselors who can also link callers to more resources. If further intervention is needed, a team of behavioral health professionals — not police — are supposed to respond. “We want to avoid that escalation, and make sure we’re not putting law enforcement in that situation where they may not be equipped to respond,” said Hannah Wesolowski, NAMI chief advocacy officer. “The goal is help, not handcuffs.” New Jersey is preparing for the call volume to increase from 55,000 last year to 83,000 in the first year of the initiative. The state is also expanding access to mental health services. The article includes the NAMI (National Alliance on Mental Illness) HelpLine: (800) 950-6264 and homepage link.