Three Takeaways from the Inaugural Year of 988
Of the thousands of calls to Cuyahoga County’s Crisis Call Center, the callers who often stick with Jane Granzier, who oversees the Call Center, are teenagers. Many teens share that they called the hotline so that they wouldn’t burden their parents with their overwhelming thoughts of suicide.
The Call Center’s Crisis Intervention Specialists listen empathetically to each caller to understand their experience and assess for immediate safety; if appropriate, they dispatch mental health professionals to conduct face-to-face assessments. Staff destigmatize talking about suicide and other mental health challenges, and help the teens explore ways to talk to their parents or other adults to get the help they need. Without the Crisis Call Center, these teens would be alone with their thoughts about suicide.
A year ago this month, the U.S. Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) launched the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline to ensure that everyone in the United States has access to services like FrontLine’s Crisis Call Center—simply by dialing 9-8-8. On July 16, 2022, FrontLine joined a national network of 200+ crisis centers to launch 988. This simple, 3-digit number provides 24/7 crisis support to people experiencing suicidal ideation, emotional distress, or substance use or mental health crisis.
In Cuyahoga County, 988 expands access to the Crisis Call Center, which FrontLine has been operating since 1995. Individuals dialing 988 or the long-standing local number access FrontLine’s Crisis Call Center.
On its one-year anniversary, here are 3 takeaways from the inaugural year of 988 in Cuyahoga County:
988 is working. Since launching 988, calls to the local number have remained steady (40,000+ per year), while calls to the national hotline, now 988, have increased from 25 to 30 per day, or 1,800 per year.
Cuyahoga County is ahead of the curve. While FrontLine integrated the 988 hotline into a robust continuum of crisis services that have been in place for decades, the federal investment in 988 has helped communities across the country launch their first crisis hotlines and mobile crisis services.
988 is not just for suicide. One success of the 988 roll-out has been educating communities that 988 can help anyone experiencing a behavioral health crisis. In 2022, the Crisis Call Center responded to 43,750 calls—78% of which were for reasons other than suicidal thoughts. Whether you’re concerned about yourself or a loved one, anyone can call the hotline or share the number with someone they are concerned about.