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It has been nearly two years since the three-digit 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline launched. As more calls begin to come in to the Lifeline, I’m proud to announce that Wyandot BHN is now up and running as a 988 call center. This means that calls to 988 that originate from a Wyandotte County caller will now be routed to our call center, which puts us in a better position to connect callers with other crisis services and support. Individuals in crisis can also reach out to 988 by text or chatting online at 988lifeline.org/chat/.
This milestone is not only an important evolution for Wyandot BHN, but it is also meeting a critical need for our community. There are consistently more calls to 988 from Wyandotte County callers than from Johnson and Sedgwick counties combined. Now that those calls will be answered locally, we are able to dispatch a mobile crisis team when needed and connect callers with ongoing treatment as part of a comprehensive approach to suicide prevention. I want to thank the Kansas Department for Aging and Disability Services for providing the funding and ongoing support for our call center.
Now that the call center is up and running, we must turn our attention to the next challenge: making sure people know that the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline is available. According to a May 2023 survey from The Pew Charitable Trusts, only 13% of adults in the U.S. were aware of 988 and its purpose. The level of awareness was slightly higher (22%) among those with mental health challenges.
When someone is experiencing a mental health or substance use crisis or suicidal thoughts, it can be difficult to know where to look for help. Thanks to 988, help and hope are just three digits away. When you call 988, you will talk to a mental health professional who can offer support, resources and crisis intervention. And when needed, a mobile crisis response team can be sent out to support the person in crisis where they are.
On July 16, we will mark two years since the nationwide launch of 988. In its first two years, the 988 Lifeline received more than 10 million calls, texts and chats from people needing support. I encourage you to take the time to learn about 988 and tell your family, friends and co-workers about it. And if you or someone you care about is ever in crisis, I hope that you will remember that live-saving support from 988 is just a phone call, text or chat away.