Almost one year after the rollout of 988, the majority of states are still struggling to ensure that their citizens' calls get answered locally.
The program was supported with $200 million in funding through the Biden administration's American Rescue Plan.As the chief executive officer at Emergence Health Network in El Paso -- which provides behavioral health, crisis response and other services to nearly 30,000 Texans a year -- Daugherty said she was excited about the developments.
Outcome data on emergency responses, referrals to outpatient mental healthcare or inpatient stabilization services is not immediately available, according to Vibrant. But Tia Dole, the chief 988 officer at the organization, said the service has helped many people who may not have elsewhere to turn for help.
"I think the workforce, with regards to crisis services, has not recovered since [the pandemic]," Dole told ABC News. Most of the time, his days spent hiring are riddled with frustration by way of empty Zoom rooms. More often than not, candidates "don't show for interviews," Brancaccio said. Or if they're hired, he said, "they don't show for the job the first day." About half of the 988 chairs at his center are empty, he said.Another challenge call centers are facing around staffing relates to managing remote versus in-person work.
At the time of the hotline's launch, HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra said that "988 is more than a number, it is a message: we're there for you." Eleven months later, amid centers' struggles to staff up, Daugherty compares those promises to gift-wrapping an empty box.
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