WELLNESS CONNECTION WELLNESS CONNECTION N NEW 988 DIALING CODE R E C O V E R Y Operated by the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline 988 Suicide

In 2020 Congress designated the new 988 dialing code to be operated through the existing National Suicide Prevention Lifeline. SAMSHA (Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration) sees 988 as a major step toward a transformed crisis care system in America. In 2022 988 received 2.4 million calls across the nation.

crisis intervention.

988 provides 40 hours of professional training and employs their staff. There are no volunteers and all calls are routed through local call centers not remotely. Calls are answered in 30 seconds or less and include designated lines for veterans and the LBGQT community.

Welcome to the premier issue of Wellness Connection, a collaboration of Rainbow’s End Recovery Center and the Crisis Hotline. Our goal is to provide timely information on mental health issues, such as addiction, depression, grief, and trauma. We hope to shed light on and encourage discussion of mental illness, addiction, and recovery. We will present stories of hope and encouragement as well as essays on related topics. This is just a start. We welcome your feedback and will be seeking submissions from our readers: wellness23@gmail.com ainbow’s End Recovery set out to be different than the traditional substance use disorder treatment facility my friends and family had attended. A substance abuse counselor and an energy healer raved about the potential of the property in Challis on the Salmon River as the perfect place for people to heal. So it began. staffed by good-hearted souls with little or no experience so there were some bumps and crashes along the way.

NAmerica is experiencing a mental health crisis. With the advent of 988, a federally funded Suicide and Crisis Hotline, this crisis can be reversed.

• The suicide rate has climbed 30% since 2000 and over the last decade has dramatically increased in 49 of 50 states.

R• 1 in 4 people above the age of 12 has a mental health condition in the United States.

• Suicide is the second leading cause of death in the US.

Idaho’s call center is located in Boise, Idaho. We are looking into adding a call center in Hailey, Idaho. The call rate in Boise has increased 75% since 2000 when 988 was implemented.

• More Americans have died from a mental health crisis in 2021 alone than have died in combat in every war combined since WWII.

• Suicide is the most preventable cause of death. For every person who dies of suicide annually, there are 316 people who seriously consider suicide`but do not kill themselves.

The easy part was converting the bed-andbreakfast facility into client rooms. The hard part was the bureaucratic hoops. The hardest part was finding employees. When we opened our doors, we were

For too long our system for mental health crisis has been underfunded and undervalued. The 988 suicide and mental health crisis has met these challenges with evidence-based

988 provides an easier way to remember for people who are struggling or in crisis to reach out for immediate help 24 hours a day. This is also an opportunity to strengthen and expand The Lifeline Network and to build a robust network to community based providers who can deliver a full range of crisis care services.

The clinical director and one full-time counselor bore the burden of treating the clients, but because we were new, there was only a handful at a time. Going forward, we were able to recruit more and more qualified staff. We worked on honing the curriculum and schedule to accommodate the needs of the clients and the requirements of accrediting agencies. We saw more clients and were building a reputation for quality care.

If you or a loved one is in need of help please call 988.

Claudia Cabot Mohr, BA, MFA

Each client had a different story, used a different drug, but in the end, each was a person in need of unconditional love and care. Once they realized they were accepted as a whole person and no longer identified by their drug use, they could begin to heal. They would open up to each other, counselors, and group members realizing they were not unique or alone.

We provided community experiences, such as the Fourth of July celebrations,

For Immediate Help With Suicidal Thoughts

If you are in danger of acting on suicidal thoughts or are in any other life-threatening crisis, please call emergency services in your area (9-1-1 in the U.S.) or go to your nearest hospital emergency room.

HOTLINES IN THE U.S.

All hotlines listed below are free and confidential.

988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline

Call 988 or 800-273-TALK (8255)

The 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline is open 24 hours a day, every day. Services are also available for veterans, and for Spanish speakers.

Samaritans Helpline

877-870-4673 (HOPE) Call or text

Samaritans Helpline is available 24/7.

The BlackLine

800-604-5841 Call or text

According to the site’s webpage, “BlackLine® provides a space for peer support, counseling, witnessing and affirming the lived experiences to folxs who are most impacted by systematic oppression with an LGBTQ+ Black Femme Lens. Call BlackLine® prioritizes BIPOC (Black, Indigenous and People of Color).”

The Trevor Project

866-488-7386 – a hotline for LGBT youth

Trans Lifeline

U.S.: (877) 565-8860

Designed for transgender people, the Trans Lifeline is staffed by people who are themselves transgender.

Copline

(800) 267-5463

Set up for police officers, staffed by retired police officers who volunteer their time, this hotline provides crisis intervention 24/7.

Warmlines

According to Mental Health America, a warmline “is a phone number you call to have a conversation with someone who can provide support during hard times… Warmlines are free and confidential. They’re different from crisis lines or hotlines, which are more focused on keeping you safe in the moment and getting you connected to crisis resources as quickly as possible. (That doesn’t mean you can’t call a warmline when you’re in crisis—a warmline may even be able to help you find the best place to go for crisis resources, or help you mentally prepare to seek out more formal treatment.)”

For a list of warmlines in the U.S., see the Warmline Directory.

Source: Speakingofsuicide.com

Branding Standards Photography

Images for 988 materials should portray real people, living day-to-day, reflective and hopeful at the same time, without going too far in either direction. Photos should be people-focused, with limited background distractions. For example, images showing people using mobile devices concentrate focus on the individual interactions with the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline.