On this edition of Your Call, we discuss efforts to save California’s 24/7 peer-led Warm Line.
Since 2019, it has responded to over 500,000 calls, texts, and chats from people seeking help for a wide range of challenges, including anxiety, depression, and substance use. The Warm Line helps to prevent an estimated 14,400 ER visits per year, reducing the burden on crisis systems like 911, saving the California health system $93 million per year, according to the Mental Health Association of San Francisco.
Without renewed funding, the California Warm Line could be shut down on July 1. The Mental Health Association of San Francisco, which runs the Warm Line, is encouraging people to contact California Governor Gavin Newsom and their State Senator and Assembly member and urge them to support the $20 million annual funding request for the next three fiscal years.
Guest:
Mark Salazar, executive director of the Mental Health Association of San Francisco
