% THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR JOINING
% US.%>> YEAH, THANK YOU.
% >> SINCE IT LAUNCHED IN MID
% JULY, THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE HAVE
% DIALED IN TO THE NEW SUICIDE AND
% CRISIS LIFELINE IN WISCONSIN
% REACHED BY CALLING 988.
% FAMILY SERVICES OF NORTHEAST
% WISCONSIN MANAGES THE CALL
% CENTER WITH COUNSELORS ON THE
% OTHER END OF THE LINE FOR PEOPLE
% DIALING 988 SEEKING HELP.
% SHELLY MISSALL IS THE PROGRAM
% MANAGER AND JOINS US FROM GREEN
% BAY.
% THANKS VERY MUCH FOR BEING HERE.
% >> THANK YOU.
% >> SO, WHAT IS THE VOLUME OF
% CALLS RIGHT NOW AT THE 988 CALL
% CENTER?
% >> WE ARE SEEING ABOUT 4,000
% CALLS A MONTH COMING IN.
% >> AND HOW DOES THAT COMPARE TO
% PREVIOUS HOTLINES?
% >> SO PRIOR TO 988 LAUNCHING, IT
% WAS PRETTY SIMILAR.
% WE HAVE SEEN CONTINUED GROWTH
% OVER THE YEARS, SO WE LOOK BACK
% JUST ABOUT A YEAR AND A HALF TO
% JANUARY OF 2021, WE WERE TAKING
% ABOUT 1100 CALLS A MONTH, AND SO
% THE LAST PROBABLY 3 OR 4 MONTHS
% WE HAVE BEEN AT THAT 4,000 MARK,
% SO WE HAVE JUST SEEN NATURAL
% GROWTH IN THE UTILIZATION OF THE
% LINE.%WE HAVE SEEN A LOT OF
GROWTH IN
% NEW CALLERS WITH THE LAUNCH OF
% 988.
% >> WHAT IS IT ABOUT THE NEW CALL
% LINE THAT PEOPLE ARE RESPONDING
% TO?
% >> I THINK IT'S AN AWARENESS AND
% A CURIOSITY.
% SOME OF THE CALLS ARE ABOUT
% PEOPLE JUST EXPLORING THAT
% SERVICE, MAYBE NOT BEING
% CONNECTED IN, NOT HAVING KNOWN
% WHAT THE SERVICE WAS OR THAT IT
% EXISTED PREVIOUSLY.
% AND A HUGE PART OF THAT IS THE
% EASY ACCESS TO OBVIOUSLY THAT
% THREE DIGIT DIALING WITH 988 IS
% A LOT EASIER TO ACCESS AND
% REMEMBER THAN THE TEN DIGIT 800
% NUMBER.
% ALTHOUGH THAT TEN DIGIT 800
% NUMBER STILL DOES EXIST AS A
% LEGACY AND WILL CONTINUE TO
% EXIST AND BE USABLE AS WELL.
% >> SO IN FACT, IT'S CALLED THE
% SUICIDE AND CRISIS LIFELINE BUT
% YOU HAVE TOLD US THAT FEWER THAN
% MAYBE A THIRD OF THE CALLS ARE
% THE EMERGENCY CALLS.
% WHAT ARE THEY MORE SO?
% >> ABSOLUTELY.
% MOST OF THE CALLS THAT WE ARE
% SEEING ARE FOLKS WHO ARE CALLING
% JUST BECAUSE THEY HAVE SOMETHING
% TO TALK ABOUT AN INDIVIDUAL
% CRISIS.
% IT COULD BE THEY ARE HAVING
% RELATIONSHIPS ISSUES, JOB
% ISSUES, FINANCIAL ISSUES, THEY
% ARE HAVING SOME ISSUES MANAGING
% THEIR MENTAL HEALTH, WHATEVER
% THAT INDIVIDUAL PERSONAL CRISIS
% IS THEY JUST NEED SOMEBODY TO
% TALK TO RIGHT NOW.
% >> YEAH, SO YOU'VE ALSO SAID
% THAT SOMETIMES IT'S HELPERS
% THEMSELVES THAT CALL WHO SEEK
% THE ANONYMITY OF THIS LINE.
% DESCRIBE THAT KIND OF CALLER.
% >> YEAH, SO ONE OF THE REALLY
% NICE THINGS ABOUT THE LIFELINE
% IS IT IS FREE AND ANONYMOUS, SO
% FOLKS DON'T EVEN NEED TO TELL US
% THEIR NAME WHEN THEY CALL IN.
% AND THAT CREATES A GREAT SPACE
% AND OPPORTUNITY FOR THOSE
% HELPERS THAT WE HAVE IN OUR
% COMMUNITY, THOSE FIRST
% RESPONDERS, THOSE FOLKS WHO ARE
% WORKING IN THE LOCAL CRISIS
% SYSTEMS, WHO ARE WORKING IN
% E.R., THINGS LIKE THAT, AND THEY
% ARE IMMERSED IN THIS, AND DON'T
% WANT TO REACH OUT TO A CO-WORKER
% FOR HELP OR SOMEBODY THAT WILL
% RECOGNIZE ME THAT I HAVE TO WORK
% WITH TOMORROW, AND SO WE ARE A
% GREAT OPPORTUNITY FOR FOLKS LIKE
% THAT TO HAVE SOMEBODY TO TALK TO
% WITH A LITTLE MORE ANONYMITY AND
% LESS CONCERN ABOUT THAT
% RECOGNITION AND HOW THAT IMPACTS
% THEIR DAY-TO-DAY WORK
% RELATIONSHIPS.%>> BUT IN A LI
FE-THREATENING
% SITUATION YOU DO HAVE A
% MECHANISM FOR REFERRING ON TO
% EMERGENCY SERVICES?
% >> ABSOLUTELY.
% SO, WE COLLABORATE WITH LAW
% ENFORCEMENT ACROSS THE STATE OF
% WISCONSIN AS WELL AS THE PUBLIC
% SAFETY OR 911 DISPATCH CENTERS,
% SO WE ARE CONNECTING IN WITH
% THOSE IN THE IMMINENT RISK
% SITUATIONS WHEN THERE IS SERIOUS
% RISK OF HARM TO SELF OR OTHERS.
% HOWEVER, THAT IS A VERY SMALL
% AMOUNT OF THE CALLS THAT WE
% ACTUALLY TAKE, AND THAT WE NEED
% TO DO THAT SORT OF INTERVENTION
% WITH SO IT'S REALLY ABOUT 1% OF
% THE CALLS WE TAKE WHERE WE ARE
% GETTING INTERVENTION LIKE THAT
% HAPPENING.%>> SOME HAVE WONDE
RED WHETHER
% CALL VOLUME IS SO HIGH PEOPLE
% HAVE TO WAIT OR GET TRANSFERRED
% TO A NATIONAL HOTLINE.
% HOW WELL STAFFED UP IS THE 988
% CALL CENTER TO HANDLE THE LOAD?
% >> SO IN WISCONSIN WE ARE DOING
% REALLY WELL WITH OUR STAFFING
% AND WE HAVE BEEN ABLE TO MANAGE
% AND MAINTAIN THAT CAPACITY OF
% THE CALLS AND WE DO CONTINUE TO
% BUILD CAPACITY BY ADDING STAFF,
% I BELIEVE WE ARE ADDING ABOUT
% TWO POSITIONS A MONTH RIGHT NOW
% FOR THE ONGOING AND FORESEEABLE
% FUTURE, SO WE ARE CONTINUING TO
% HIRE ADDITIONAL COUNSELORS TO
% BUILD THAT STAFF AND PART OF
% THAT HAS BEEN STRATEGIC AT A
% NATIONAL LEVEL AND WITHIN
% WISCONSIN WITH THAT ROLL-OUT.
% WE DID SEE SOME MEDIA EARLY ON
% AND SO THERE WAS A LITTLE BIT OF
% SHARING, BUT IT'S BEEN A MORE OF
% A SOFT LAUNCH AND BUILDING
% CAPACITY ACROSS THE STATE TO
% SUPPORT THE PEOPLE WHO ARE
% REACHING OUT AND WE'LL SEE MORE
% COMING FACING THE PUBLIC AS FAR
% AS SHARING MORE INFORMATION
% ABOUT 988 NEXT YEAR.
% >> DOES THE POPULARITY OF 988
% HIGHLIGHT HOW MUCH PEOPLE NEED A
% LISTENING EAR AND JUST HELP
% FIGURING OUT WHERE TO GO OR WHAT
% RESOURCES ARE AVAILABLE?
% >> I THINK THAT'S A REALLY GREAT
% OBSERVATION.
% YEAH, THERE'S A LOT OF FOLKS WHO
% COULD USE SOME ADDITIONAL
% SUPPORT BUT IF THEY'VE NEVER
% BEEN CONNECTED IN WITH THE
% RESOURCES THAT EXIST THEY MIGHT
% JUST NOT KNOW IT'S THERE.
% SO 988 IS GREAT, IT GIVES THEM
% AN OPPORTUNITY TO EXPLORE WHAT'S
% OUT THERE, IT GIVES THEM AN
% OPPORTUNITY TO LEARN MORE ABOUT
% THE MENTAL HEALTH RESOURCES THAT
% EXIST, ABOUT OPPORTUNITIES AND
% PLACES THEY CAN GO TO IN A
% CRISIS, AND IT REALLY BUILDS
% UPON THE OPPORTUNITIES FOR THEM
% TO GET CONNECTED WITH THE
% RESOURCES THEY NEED IN A SAFE
% AND COMFORTABLE ENVIRONMENT.
% >> AND EASY NUMBER TO CALL AS
% WELL.