988 - WKTV Journal

By Kyle Davidson
Capital News Service

LANSING — As the federal government works to roll out a 9-8-8 suicide hotline, one lawmaker is looking to expand crisis line services within Michigan.

Rep. Mary Whiteford, R-Casco Township, wants to incorporate the Michigan Crisis and Access line and the National Suicide Prevention Hotline under the same three-digit phone number.

“It’s just to make it really simple. No matter where you live in Michigan, you have one number that you can call to find local help,” Whiteford said.

Whiteford had introduced the Michigan Crisis and Access Line that was signed into law in January 2020. The 24/7 phone, text and chat line serves the Upper Peninsula and Oakland County and is rolling out statewide.

It can be accessed at 1-844-44 MICAL.

With the national designation of 9-8-8 as the new phone number for the National Suicide Hotline, Whiteford wants to designate the Michigan Crisis and Access Line as Michigan’s crisis hotline center. That would provide intervention services and care to anyone accessing the 9-8-8 hotline.

“We’ve always talked about aligning (the Michigan Crisis and Access Line) with 9-8-8, but that was the next step,” Whiteford said.

There are 46 community mental health centers in the state that operate local crisis lines.

The advantage of the Michigan Crisis and Access Line is you can advertise one number statewide and receive referral to local mental health resources and the local crisis line, said Robert Sheehan, the executive director of the Community Mental Health Association of Michigan.

The Crisis and Access Line is also working to provide other resources, including referral to substance abuse recovery centers and the psychiatric bed registry.

“That’s not been available statewide, so that would be a real great cataloging of mental health resources on a statewide level,” Sheehan said.

Suicide is the second-leading cause of death for Michigan residents age 10 to 34, according to the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention. In 2020, 76.5% of Michigan communities did not have enough mental health providers to serve residents, the foundation reported.

In addition to incorporating the state’s crisis line under 9-8-8, Whiteford also introduced a companion bill to create a fund to support crisis services.

It would gather funds from a monthly 55-cent charge to the cell phone bills of all Michigan residents and a 2% charge per retail transaction for prepaid wireless calling services. That charge can be adjusted to fund program operations, expansions and maintenance.

“I really wanted to get that out there to have a conversation about something we could do to have sustainable funding for crisis services for the state,” Whiteford said.

The state Department of Health and Human Services would be responsible for managing the fund. It could be used to set up additional crisis stabilization units and to offer more services because the fund does not lapse into the state’s general fund at the end of the year, Whiteford said.

While Michigan has a very comprehensive mental health system, it receives about 95% of its funding from Medicaid, a public health insurance program for low-income people, making it inaccessible to most residents who do not qualify for Medicaid, Sheehan said.

By taking a public utility approach in providing a crisis response line and crisis response teams, anybody can call and get the care they need, he said.

While Whiteford is the sole sponsor of these bills, she said she expects they will receive broad, bipartisan support in the Committee on Health Policy. Both bills are pending committee review.

ABOUT KYLE DAVIDSON

Kyle Davidson is an MSU Junior working to complete his degree in Journalism. Kyle currently works with both The Spartan Newsroom and Capital News Service covering public safety, criminal justice, politics, and women’s issues in the political sphere.

In preparation for the new 988 phone number for the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline, starting Oct. 24, West Michigan residents will need to dial the full 10-digit number to make a local call. (pxhere.com)

By Joanne Bailey-Boorsma
joanne@wktv.org

When phone numbers were first established in the late 1880s, they were just a series of three numbers. As the population grew, the number system expanded to seven digits locally with a three-digit area code for long distance.

Starting Oct. 24, in many areas of Michigan, it will not matter if you are making a local or long distance phone call, you will be required to dial 10-digits — one plus the area code plus the number.

The reason? The Federal Communications Commission has designated 988 as the abbreviated dialing code that can be used to reach the suicide prevention hotline. Officials expect the 988 dialing code to be active by July of 2022.

“In many area codes across the country, 988 is already used as a prefix, or first three digits after the area code of customer telephone numbers,” the Michigan Public Service Commission announced in a press release earlier this year. “In order for 988 to dial directly to the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline, any area code that includes 988 prefix must transition from seven-digit dialing (dialing without the area code) to 10-digit dialing (1 plus the area code with the telephone number.”

Residents with the 616, 810, 906, and 989 area codes will have to make the switch to 10-digits for all local calls. As of Oct. 24, if a resident with that area code dials with only seven digits, the call may not be completed and a recording may inform the caller that the call cannot be completed as dialed. The caller will have to hangup and redial the 10-digit number.

Phone numbers will not change, residents only need to add the area code to the existing number. It is recommended that residents check contacts to make sure that the complete 10-digit number is stored in their devices. It is also recommend that businesses review devices that rely on numbers to assure all contacts’ 10-digit numbers have been stored.

Other three-digit numbers such as 911 for emergency and 221 for community services will not be impacted.

The new 988 number for the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline goes into effect on July 16, 2022. Until then, residents can cal the hotline at 1-800-273-8255 (1-800-273-TALK). Veterans and Service members may reach the Veterans Crisis Line by pressing 1 after dialing, chatting online at www.veteranscrisisline.net or texting 838255.

According to the FFC, since 2008, suicide has ranked as the tenth leading cause of death in the United States. Suicide claimed the lives of more than 48,000 Americans in 2018, resulting in about one death every 11 minutes. An FCC staff report to Congress in 2019 proposed establishing 988 as an easy to remember three-digit code for the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline. Staff analyzed various options and determined 988 was the best option for increasing access to crisis resources and ensuring the fastest possible transition. Establishing the easy-to-remember 988 as the “911” for suicide prevention and mental health services will make it easier for Americans in crisis to access the help they need and decrease the stigma surrounding suicide and mental health issues, state FCC officials in a release about the new three-digit number.

The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline is a national network of approximately 170 crisis centers. The centers are supported by local and state, and public and private sources, as well as by Congressional appropriations through the Department of Health and Human Services’ Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA).

At this point, it is probably a good idea for residents start using 10-digit numbers as some areas in the country have been forced to add second area codes due to running out of phone numbers. The FCC estimates there are more people than phone numbers.