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Your Call

New 988 Suicide and Crisis Hotline debuts. Are local centers prepared for a surge in calls?

On this edition of Your Call, we're discussing the rollout of the 988 Suicide and Crisis Hotline, which is now live. People experiencing mental health crises can call or text 988 to seek support from a trained mental health professional.

The goal is to connect people immediately and reduce confrontations with law enforcement. The new line will also provide specialized services for Spanish speakers, veterans, and LGBTQ youth, who are four times more likely to attempt suicide than their peers, according to The Trevor Project.

This hotline will save lives, according to mental health advocates. What will it take to ensure local crisis clinics are fully funded and staffed well into the future?

Guests:

Hannah Wesolowski, chief advocacy officer for the National Alliance on Mental Illness

Peter Murphy, outreach manager for the Mental Health Association of San Francisco

Tara Gamboa-Eastman, senior advocate for the Steinberg Institute

Web Resources:

NBC: New 988 suicide hotline needs increased support or it risks leaving millions unanswered

TIME: 988 Is New Mental-Health Crisis Hotline. Here's What to Know

CalMatters: Dial 988: State’s new mental health crisis hotline debuts

The New York Times: The U.S. Has a New Crisis Hotline: 988. Is It Prepared for a Surge in Calls?

Bee Soll is a producer with Your Call at KALW, and a producer, writer, and editor at KCBS Radio in San Francisco. She is a former reporter for Crosscurrents and contributor at KPFA Radio.
Rose Aguilar has been the host of Your Call since 2006. She became a regular media roundtable guest in 2001. In 2019, the San Francisco Press Club named Your Call the best public affairs program. In 2017, The Nation named it the most valuable local radio show.