Advocates Hope National 9-8-8 Suicide Prevention Number Will Reduce Mental Health Stigma
By Robert Davis
As Colorado prepares for the rollout of the national 9-8-8 suicide prevention hotline next summer, local mental health professionals are hoping the service will reduce the stigmas that keep many Coloradans from seeking help.
“The more we expand options for people, the closer we get to reducing the stigma around mental health and helping people understand these are struggles that many people face,” Rick Doucet, CEO of the Community Reach Center, a mental health service provider serving North Denver, told the Denver VOICE in an email.
Created by the Federal Communications Commission in June 2020, the three-digit number is scheduled to launch by July 16, 2022. All phone operators will be required to direct any 9-8-8 calls to the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline (NSPL) by that date, according to the FCC rule.
Colorado’s Department of Human Services (CDHS) said on March 19 it convened a 22-member panel tasked with planning for the rollout. Members of the panel represent behavioral health providers, law enforcement agencies, advocacy organizations, and people with lived experience with mental health, behavioral health, or substance abuse.
Other items committee members are responsible for include addressing coordinating the hotline with other emergency numbers such as 9-1-1 and funding for the new services. The state received a grant from Vibrant Emotional Health, a nonprofit mental health organization, to develop the initiation plan, which is due by the end of September, according to CDHS.
Doucet says the new hotline will provide a much-needed centralized location for Coloradans who need help to access mental health care services.
“Access to care is an obstacle that many face when it comes to behavioral health. With the rollout of 9-8-8 as a suicide prevention tool, we believe this will make it easier for people to access resources,” he added.
Since 2008, Colorado’s crisis service network has gone through several iterations. It began as the Metro Triage Project (MTP), the state’s first 24/7 mental health and substance abuse crisis hotline. Original estimates projected MTP phone operators would field 100,000 calls per year.
Afterward came the Metro Crisis Services, which then became LiveConnect before the NSPL was signed into law in 2011. Then, in 2014, former Mayor John Hickenlooper created Colorado Crisis Services, which operates the Colorado Crisis Services Line (CCSL).
Anyone in Colorado currently suffering from emergency mental health issues, substance abuse, or suicidal ideations must call the CCSL to receive immediate help. The organization offers a wide range of services to both youths and adults.
But, Colorado’s centralized service hasn’t yielded greater access to mental or behavioral health care as intended. According to a 2019 survey by the Colorado Health Institute (CHI), 13.5 percent of Coloradans do not get the mental health care they need because of barriers related to stigma and affordability.
Meanwhile, the number of Coloradans who report having poor mental health has increased seven percentage points between 2015 and 2019, CHI found. More than half of the adults surveyed identified as transgender compared with just 15 percent of cisgender adults.
Data from the Colorado Department of Public Health & Environment (CDPHE) shows that the state’s suicide rate is increasing as well. In 2019, 1,287 people committed suicide, a total that has more than doubled over the past two decades.
State lawmakers are working on suicide prevention efforts under the Gold Dome as well. One bill circulating the House would add provider and responder training, creation of a postvention component to Colorado’s K-12 suicide prevention plan. Another would create a suicide prevention pilot program for post 9/11 veterans in El Paso County.
After a record-breaking year of calls to the Colorado Crisis Services Line, Robert Werthwein, director of OBH, said in a statement that the need for 9-8-8 has never been greater.
In 2015, CCSL fielded nearly 50,000 calls, according to OBH data. That total increased to 90,000 through September 2020, with a majority of calls being spurred by the pandemic.
“We are eager to work with our partners to roll out 9-8-8 and make these critical services even easier to access,” he continued.
For any mental health, substance use, or emotional concern, call Colorado Crisis Services at 844-493-TALK (8255), or text TALK to 38255. Learn more at ColoradoCrisisServices.org.