LANSING, Mich. — From the coronavirus outbreak to the recent protests for police reform and racial equality, many people are stressed. That is affecting the mental health of many people across the country and as Maya Rodriguez explains it's now reigniting an urgency to make help more easily accessible with a new three digit number.
As the nation struggles to get a handle on the coronavirus pandemic… and confronts the issues of police reform and systemic racism… some of the country’s mental health hotlines… are seeing a growing number of calls.
Kimberly Williams of Vibrant Emotional Health shared that “we have seen an exponential increase in the demand for mental health services.”
A recent survey from the Kaiser Family Foundation shows that nearly half (45 %) of American adults say their mental health has been negatively impacted by the coronavirus, but mental health hotlines are 10-digits long can be hard to remember and impede access to immediate help.
Becky Stoll of Centerstone Behavioral Health Services explained “I say the road to seeking mental health services is paved in swiss cheese and if you don't know how to get yourself around some of those holes it's tough.”
One solution – make the national suicide prevention hotline a simple, three-digit number, 988.
Late last year the federal communications commission recommended the number become a national crisis hotline.
Becky Stoll of Centerstone Behavioral Health Services said “it's just going to be transformative if we can get it done.”it’s an effort that’s slowly gaining traction on Capitol Hill because of COVID-19.
This letter signed by a bi-partisan group of Senate and House members calls for any future coronavirus related stimulus bill to include funding for 988.
Congress could take up another stimulus bill later this summer.
Kimberly Williams of Vibrant Emotional Health explained “988 would essentially de-stigmatize mental health and suicide by promoting easily accessible, help-seeking behavior and ultimately save lives.”lives that continue to be impacted by tumultuous events and a pandemic with no vaccine available yet.
Becky Stoll of Centerstone Behavioral Health Services explained “we don't know how long it's going to go, so, I think we're going to see more and more people who've not access behavioral health services in the past need to do that.”
With the hopes that a small number can make a big difference.
If you are suffering from mental health distress or need counseling call the national suicide prevention lifeline.the number is 1-800-273-8255
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