Minnesota calls, texts to 988 have increased in 2 years since new suicide prevention line launched
ST. PAUL, Minn. — For two years, three simple numbers have helped countless people struggling with mental health: 988, the national suicide prevention lifeline abbreviated from its original 10 digits to three.
In Minnesota there were more than 63,000 calls, chats and texts to the number last year, according to state data from the Department of Health. Organizations with call centers say the system here has improved significantly since its launch in July 2022 and more people are reaching out.
"I think it's been a huge success because we want to be able to meet someone's needs at kind of that lowest level of intervention possible and we don't want it to feel scary for people to reach out for help," said Shannah Mulvihill, executive director at Mental Health Minnesota, a group that provides free resources about mental health and peer support services. It also has staff answering calls and chats with 988.
A key goal of Mulvihill and other advocates is to have a high in-state response rate, or Minnesotans who seek help getting a response from a fellow Minnesotan. That way individuals in crisis can be connected to services here, like mobile crisis teams instead of law enforcement by dialing 911.
If someone here isn't able to respond, calls will be routed to out-of-state call centers. But counselors are unlikely to know about those crisis teams or other state-specific resources.
Minnesota's in-state call answer rate has hovered between 85% and 90% in the last two years. That response hasn't been robust for calls and text, but it's improving, state data show.
For example, in April 2023, Minnesota-based counselors answered those texts only half the time. By April of this year, that response rate was 94%, according to information provided by the health department.
"We've made a lot of great progress very quickly and I think that shows what was missing was the resources to build capacity," Mulvihill said.
Congress earmarked federal funding for 988, but states will have to sustain the program going forward. Minnesota lawmakers approved a $0.12 telecom fee to be tacked on to phone bills starting this September to support 988 and it's expected to bring in $9 million annually, a spokesperson for MDH said in an email.
A similar fee exists to support 911 services. Minnesota is one of only 10 states to authorize it for this suicide prevention lifelife, according to a list compiled by the National Alliance on Mental Illness.
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If you or someone you know is in emotional distress, get help from the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline by calling or texting 988. Trained crisis counselors are available 24 hours a day to talk about anything.