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 LIFE-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 WONDERED 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.