>> NEARLY 92,000 CONTACTS
RELATED TO MENTAL HEALTH AND
SUBSTANCE USE SUPPORT CAME
ACROSS THE 9-8-8 WISCONSIN
LIFELINE IN ITS FIRST FULL YEAR
OF OPERATION.
THE DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH
SERVICES SAYS THE LIFELINE
SYSTEM HAS REDUCED PRESSURES ON
OTHER EMERGENCY SYSTEMS AND
REPORTS THAT 98% OF INTERACTIONS
WERE DEEMED RESOLVED.
FOR MORE ON THE STATE'S MENTAL
HEALTH RESOURCES, WE TURN TO
D.H.S. SECRETARY DESIGNEE
KIRSTEN JOHNSON.
THANK YOU FOR BEING WITH US.
>> THANK YOU FOR HAVING ME.
>> WERE YOU SURPRISED BY THE
92,000 NUMBER OF CONTACTS IN THE
FIRST YEAR OF THIS 9-8-8
SERVICE?
>> I DON'T THINK I NECESSARILY
WAS SURPRISED.
I THINK IT REALLY DEMONSTRATES
THE NEED WE HAVE IN WISCONSIN
AND ACROSS THE COUNTRY, FRANKLY,
TO MEET PEOPLE WHERE THEY ARE
IMMEDIATELY IN REAL TIME WHEN
THEY NEED SUPPORT AROUND MENTAL
HEALTH.
>> SO IF SOMEONE CALLS THE 9-8-8
LINE AND THEY ARE IN CRISIS,
MENTAL HEALTH CRISIS, WHAT WILL
THEY GET ON THE OTHER END?
>> SURE.
THEY'LL GET SOMEONE WHO IS
TRAINED TO DEESCALATE A SCENARIO
OR SITUATION, HOW TO FIND
SUPPORT WITHIN THEIR COMMUNITY,
TO CONNECT THEM WITH OTHER
RESOURCES, A PROVIDER IF THEY
NEEDED A BEHAVIORAL HEALTH
PROVIDER, AND IF IT TRULY IS A
SCENARIO WHERE THERE'S A CRISIS
AND AN ACTION HAPPENING, THEY
CAN BE CONNECTED TO EMERGENCY
SERVICES.
>> WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO SAY THAT
98% OF THE CONTACTS ARE
RESOLVED?
>> SURE.
SO THAT'S A REALLY GOOD
QUESTION.
THAT MEANS 98% OF THE CALLS THAT
ARE ANSWERED ARE RESOLVED IN
TERMS OF THE PERSON IS
COMFORTABLE HANGING UP THE
PHONE, THE INDIVIDUAL WHO IS
WORKING AT THE 9-8-8 CALL CENTER
FEELS COMFORTABLE THAT THEY ARE
SAFE, AND DEPENDING ON THE
SCENARIO, THERE MAY BE A
FOLLOW-UP CALL SCHEDULED IF THE
INDIVIDUAL IS COMFORTABLE
SHARING THEIR PERSONAL
INFORMATION, CONTACT
INFORMATION, THERE MAY BE A CASE
MANAGER THAT'S ASSIGNED TO A
FOLLOW-UP, BUT THAT MEANS WHEN
THEY HANG UP THE PHONE, THE
PERSON IN THE CALL CENTER FEELS
COMFORTABLE THAT THAT PERSON IS
SAFE.
>> AND THESE CALLS COULD
PRESUMABLY TAKE SOME TIME.
RIGHT?
I MEAN, HOW LONG DO PEOPLE SPEND
ON THE PHONE WITH PEOPLE WHO
REALLY NEED THAT HELP?
>> SO THE AVERAGE CALL IS ABOUT
20 MINUTES, BUT THAT'S AVERAGE.
SO IT'S INTERESTING.
I JUST ASKED THIS QUESTION
EARLIER OF THE 9-8-8 STAFF, HOW
LONG -- SO A TEXT MESSAGE COULD
TAKE UP TO TWO HOURS.
ON AVERAGE, CALLS ARE ABOUT 20
MINUTES.
>> HOW DO DO THE
REGARDLESSULATIONS, THE CASES,
THE CALLS THAT ARE RESOLVED,
FREE UP OTHER SERVICES THAT
MIGHT OTHERWISE BE CALLED UPON?
>> THAT'S ALSO AN EXCELLENT
QUESTION.
ABOUT TWO-THIRDS OF CALLERS ARE
ACTUALLY REPEAT CALLERS, SO
THEY'RE PEOPLE WHO NOW RECOGNIZE
THAT THIS IS A RESOURCE THAT
THEY CAN ACCESS.
IT HAS ALLEVIATED SOME OF THE
DEMANDS ON OUR CRISIS CALL
CENTERS IN OUR COUNTIES, BUT
ALSO ALLEVIATES SOME OF THE
9-1-1 CALLS, SO PEOPLE WHO NEED
THE IMMEDIATE TOUCH POINT, THEY
NEED SOMEBODY TO TALK TO,
ACTUALLY HAVE AN OUTLET WHERE
THEY HAVE A WARM BODY TO TALK
THEM THROUGH THE SCENARIO
THEY'RE IN.
>> OUTSIDE OF THIS LIFELINE,
WHAT DOES ACCESS TO
NON-EMERGENCY MENTAL HEALTH
SERVICE LOOK LIKE ACROSS THE
STATE RIGHT NOW?
>> CERTAINLY, WE HAVE CHALLENGES
IN TERMS OF ACCESS TO CARE.
THROUGHOUT THE PANDEMIC, I THINK
WE HAD CHALLENGES AROUND MENTAL
HEALTH AND ACCESS TO MENTAL
HEALTH SERVICES BEFORE THE
PANDEMIC.
THEY WERE CERTAINLY EXACERBATED
OVER THE COURSE OF THE LAST
3-1/2 YEARS, SO THERE ARE LONG
WAIT TIMES TO GET INTO
BEHAVIORAL HEALTH PROVIDERS.
THIS IS A TOUCH POINT FOR
PEOPLE.
I'VE ALSO LEARNED FROM THE STAFF
THAT THE PEOPLE THAT CALL BACK
MAY HAVE AN APPOINTMENT SIX
MONTHS OUT, NINE MONTHS OUTED,
BUT BECAUSE THEY HAVE A CONTACT
THAT THEY KNOW THEY CAN CALL
WEEKLY, OR EVERY FEW WEEKS,
SOMEBODY THAT THEY TRUST, THAT
THEY MAY NOT NEED THAT CRISIS
LEVEL IN SIX OR EIGHT MONTHS,
THAT THEY MAY TALK ABOUT THE
ISSUES THAT THEY'RE EXPERIENCING
IN REAL TIME AND HAVE THEM
RESOLVED.
>> BECAUSE I WAS THINKING THAT
IF SOMEONE -- ONE OF THE CALL
TAKERS ON THE LINE OFFERS
RESOURCES TO PEOPLE WHO CALL,
THEY MIGHT BE KIND OF THIN.
RIGHT?
OR THEY CALL AND IT'S LIKE,
YEAH, LIKE YOU SAY, SIX MONTHS
OUT, THAT KIND OF THING, SO I
CAN SEE THAT REPEAT KIND OF
CALL-BACK.
ARE THE PRESSURES OF DAILY LIFE
AND THE OVERALL NEED FOR HELP
GREATER RIGHT NOW?
>> YOU KNOW, I THINK THAT THERE
WAS CERTAINLY AN INCREASED NEED
FOR BEHAVIORAL HEALTH SERVICES
BEFORE THE PANDEMIC, LIKE I
MENTIONED.
I DO THINK THEY'VE INCREASED
POST-PANDEMIC.
WE REALLY WENT THROUGH THREE
YEARS OF UPHEAVAL IN TERMS OF,
YOU KNOW, INCOME AND, YOU KNOW,
ACCESS TO CHILDCARE AND HAVING
TO WORK FROM HOME AND CHILDREN
AT HOME AND KIDS AT HOME AND
REMOTE WORK AND REMOTE SCHOOL I
THINK THERE'S ABOUT A LOT OF
CHANGE IN OUR SOCIETY OVER THE
COURSE OF THE LAST 3-1/2 YEARS,
AND I THINK PEOPLE ARE REALLY
STRUGGLING.
>> DO YOU FEEL AS THOUGH THIS
9-8-8 SERVICE AND KIND OF THE
DISCUSSION AROUND IT AND THE
PROMOTION OF IT HELPS COMBAT THE
STIGMA OF MENTAL HEALTH ISSUES?
>> I THINK IT HAS.
I DO THINK IT HAS.
AND I DO THINK THAT HAS, OVER
THE COURSE OF THE LAST FIVE
YEARS, PRE-PANDEMIC, PEOPLE ARE
TALKING MORE ABOUT THE PERSONAL
CHALLENGES AND STRUGGLES.
I THINK ANOTHER OUTLET FOR
PEOPLE HAS BEEN SOCIAL MEDIA,
WHICH HAS BEEN BOTH A BLESSING
AND A CURSE IN TERMS OF PEOPLE
ARE MORE FORTHCOMING ABOUT WHAT
THEY'RE EXPERIENCING IN THEIR
LIVES.
THE FLIP SIDE OF THAT IS THERE'S
A TENDENCY TO PORTRAY
PERFECTIONISM, WHICH I THINK IS
CHALLENGING FOR KIDS TO TRY TO
FEEL THAT THEY'RE NOT GOOD
ENOUGH, THEY'RE NOT -- THEY'RE
NOT GOOD ENOUGH WHEN THEY
COMPARE THEMSELVES TO OTHERS ON
SOCIAL MEDIA.
BUT AGAIN, I DO THINK THERE HAS
BEEN AN INCREASED NEED OVER THE
COURSE OF TIME AND I THINK THAT
PEOPLE ARE MORE WILLING TO REACH
OUT AND ASK FOR HELP.
>> IN SUM, WHAT MESSAGE TO
PEOPLE WHO MIGHT NEED HELP DO
YOU HAVE?
>> THAT THERE IS HELP.
THAT THERE IS HOPE.
THAT THERE ARE OUTLETS.
THEY CAN CALL 9-8-8.
THE OTHER VALUABLE TOOL THAT WE
HAVE IS CONNECTED TO 2-1-1,
WHICH IS A ROBUST SYSTEM OF
RESOURCES, SO THOSE 9-8-8 -- THE
PEOPLE ANSWERING THE PHONE ARE
ABLE TO GIVE LOCAL RESOURCES TO
PEOPLE WHO CALL, AND I THINK
IT'S A TREMENDOUS VALUE TO
WISCONSINITES.
>> ALL RIGHT.