RICHMOND, Va. -- Over the weekend, the National Suicide and Crisis Lifeline shifted to simply dialing 9-8-8 to reach a trained professional who can help people who are experiencing a mental health crisis.
One of two call centers for Virginia saw a 99% increase in call volume, officials said.
Although some of those calls were just testing the new system, the boom was expected for those leading the final transition in Virginia to the simpler, shorter 9-8-8 replacing the ten-digit “800” lifeline that had been in place for decades.
“It’s been pretty hectic,” said Bill Howard, Director of Crisis Services and Support for the Virginia Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services. “We view the 988 rollout as a big first step and a transformation in Virginia's crisis system.“
The Commonwealth was an early adopter of the 9-8-8 rollout and began preparing in 2021 for the final transition this weekend, Howard said.
“We view a critical point is when someone identifies they're in crisis, and they're ready to reach out,” Howard said. “We want an understanding, a non-judgmental ear to be able to listen to their concerns and give them a link to the appropriate resource, if necessary. Sometimes all you need is someone to talk to, but sometimes you need more, and we want to make sure both of those things are taken care of.”
Many people likely view the lifeline as the place to call if someone is contemplating self-harm; however, officials said anyone who recognizes they are experiencing a mental health crisis can give 9-8-8 a call. Family members and friends who recognize a loved one struggling can also call to connect to resources.
“So, if you call 988, you will be put in touch with somebody who can help support you, through your crisis, identify what resources you might need to move forward, and also help you navigate with a pretty difficult system,” Howard said.
Virginia calls are routed based on area code to one of two call centers, which are located in Northern Virginia and Johnson City, Tennessee, a location that officials said better serves Southwest Virginia.
Although most of the professionals answering the calls are not licensed counselors, staffers must complete more than 90 hours of crisis intervention and other training.
“These call centers aren't immune to staffing shortages. But over the last month, we've been able to get them up to 90% staffing of their funded positions. And our goal is to get them to 100%,” Howard said.
Over the weekend, Howard said 89% of calls to the centers were answered the first time, an increase over the past but also one they want to continue boosting.
Some mental health advocacy groups have voiced concern that while 9-8-8 might be easier to remember and utilize, it still relies on a patchwork of local mental health service providers who can provide varying levels of resources.
Howard said he sees the 9-8-8 rollout as a prong one of a three-prong transformation of Virginia’s crisis intervention system. A fully realized model Howard would like to see would include mobile mental health response teams across the Commonwealth and a greater build of community resource centers.
“We're in year one of what might be a five-to-10-year process of getting everything built out in an appropriate manner. But our goal is for anybody in Virginia, you identify what your crisis is, and we have the appropriate service to link you to address that crisis not just falling back on my law enforcement response or emergency room response or anything like that,” Howard said.
To learn more about the lifeline, resources available in Virginia, and signs of crisis that are good to keep in mind, head to 988lifeline.org.
