The Providers: 9-8-8

THE PROVIDERS

BY GAYLE GIESE, PRESIDENT, FLORIDA MENTAL HEALTH ADVOCACY COALITION @FLMHAC

Annual U.S. deaths from drug overdoses are around 80,000 people, and 48,000 die by suicide each year. Two million times a year, people with mental illnesses are booked into U.S. jails that hold many more people than our psychiatric hospitals.

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Three little numbers could change the world of behavioral health: 9-8-8. This new behavioral health and suicide prevention hotline goes into effect across the nation by July 16, 2022. 9-8-8 became law when President Trump signed S. 2661, the National Suicide Hotline Designation Act of 2020. Callers dialing 9-8-8 will be directed to their local National Suicide Prevention Lifeline call centers, with national backup.

In Palm Beach, 2-1-1 Palm Beach and the Treasure Coast (211palmbeach.org) will answer the 9-8-8 calls. You can already call our local 2-1-1 and speak with a trained suicide prevention counselor, but that is not the case everywhere. With 9-8-8 national advertising, crisis calls are projected to increase a minimum of 300%.

A third type of First Responder is being created with this number: behavioral health experts. 9-8-8 solves a problem that has existed since the deinstitutionalization of psychiatric hospitals in the 1970s when law enforcement was first tasked with responding to behavioral health calls. While well-meaning, officers, even those trained in Crisis-Intervention-Training (CIT), are not familiar with local behavioral health providers and resources and do not have years of study and training in de-escalation techniques.

9-8-8 offers a better response. Based on data from the Georgia Crisis & Access Line, it’s estimated that about 85% of issues will be resolved on the phone, saving the cost of sending a first responder. Calls may also be transferred in a warm hand-off to a mobile response team that would come to your home – with workers trained to de-escalate a crisis and link you to services.

Diverting these calls from 9-1-1 to 9-8-8 with referrals to local services will not only save dollars and lives, but also free up law enforcement to focus on public safety and solving crimes. Police

Gayle with Paul Jaquith of Mental Health America Southeast Florida and husband Allen Giese, the current president of NAMI Broward County. They both won EPIC awards from MHA SE Florida in 2019 for working to improve behavioral health in our community. (Allen is on the left.)

THE PROVIDERS

can still be dispatched for high-risk situations, such as those involving weapons. Most importantly, individuals with behavioral health conditions will be linked to providers and services the FIRST time they call, ending the revolving door of hospitalizations, emergency rooms, jails, and homelessness. Early intervention means more promising prognoses. Families and their loved ones will be saved from years of trauma.

Annual U.S. deaths from drug overdoses are around 80,000 people, and 48,000 die by suicide each year. Two million times a year, people with mental illnesses are booked into U.S. jails that hold many more people than our psychiatric hospitals; the cost of a day in jail in Broward County per the Broward Sheriff’s Office is $197.81. People with mental illness tend to stay longer with tragic outcomes for themselves and their families and no improvements to public safety.

But Florida must be prepared. Join the Florida Mental Health Advocacy Coalition to support funding requests from the Department of Children and Families (DCF) Please encourage Agency for Healthcare Administration (AHCA) to apply for the Medicaid option to fund mobile crisis response teams and to leverage Medicaid funds as needed to support the 9-8-8 system. Please support a study to determine the capacity and coverage of mobile response teams and crisis stabilization centers such as centralized receiving centers throughout the state and commit to filling any gaps. Please promote collaboration between DCF and Agency for Healthcare Administration (AHCA) to ensure the ongoing success of the 9-8-8 crisis response system and establish leadership to provide accountability to improve the quality of crisis services throughout the state.

This is personal for those of us in the Florida Mental Health Advocacy Coalition, including our NAMI, Mental Health America, and peer-run organizations. When someone is having a behavioral health crisis, they need help – not handcuffs. People experiencing a behavioral health crisis are at high risk of death during a police interaction. According to the Washington Post’s police shooting database, 23% of people killed by police were identified as having a mental illness.

Thirteen years ago, my 17-year-old suffered a first psychotic break. 9-8-8 would have saved us years of trauma and greatly improved his prognosis by linking him to the right services right away. 9-8-8 will help veterans and first responders with PTSD, people considering suicide, those with autism, those addicted to opioids, those in abusive relationships, those lonely due to COVID, and at the end of their rope.

A call for help shouldn’t result in trauma or tragedy. Building a robust 9-8-8 crisis response system will move us closer toward a respectful, dignified and effective response to everyone who experiences mental health, substance use, or suicidal crisis.

The Providers is a space for providers, practitioners, thought leaders, and systems change leaders to share. To contribute, send your article ideas to thewell@bewellpbc.org with “The Providers” in the subject line.

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