On this edition of Your Call, we discuss the future of the California Warm Line and the California Parent & Youth Helpline after state lawmakers approved a budget that eliminates $78 million in funding for mental health phone lines.
This drastic funding cuts will not only devastate these organizations, but also leave tens of millions of people across the state without these essential free helplines.
How will this affect the care these organizations provide and what will this mean for the future of free helplines in California?
Guests:
Mark Salazar, executive director of the Mental Health Association of San Francisco, which runs the Warm Line
Dr. Lisa Pion-Berlin, CEO of Parents Anonymous, which oversees the California Parent & Youth Helpline
Elizabeth Harris, Faculty Associate at Arizona State University and lead author of a study assessing the California Parent & Youth Helpline's effectiveness
Antonia Rios and her son Ricky, beneficiaries of the Parent & Youth Helpline
Anthony, beneficiary of the Warm Line
Resources:
The Guardian: California leaders approve budget to close $12bn deficit in blow to progressive causes
CalMatters: CA mental health phone line faces steep budget cuts
San Francisco Examiner: Free SF-run mental health phone line faces uncertain future
Journal of Technology in Human Services: Using Machine Learning Technology to Measure Changes in Emotional State During Helpline Calls
NPR: Trump administration cuts specialized suicide prevention service for LGBTQ+ youth
