Molly Jacobson says her loved one ended up fine despite the negative experience with the line. But she worries about what might happen next time—or, to someone else in a similar situation.
It was March 11, 2021—one year since the World Health Organization declared COVID-19 a global pandemic—and in those twelve months, emerging data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention showed that historic rates of mental illness, overdose deaths and deaths by suicide were soaring. Amid the horrific trends, the government decided to take action.As part of the refresh, the 10-digit phone number was simplified to a succinct 9-8-8.
Since its launch in July 2022, the new hotline fielded over 2 million calls from people in crisis -- 45% more than the 10-digit hotline over the same period in the previous year, according to data from Vibrant Emotional Health, the organization appointed by the federal government to oversee the line.
But almost one year after the crisis line's rollout—and after nearly one billion dollars of federal investment—the majority of states are still struggling to ensure that their citizens' calls get answered locally. "I think the workforce, with regards to crisis services, has not recovered since [the pandemic]," Dole told ABC News.
Additionally, fewer than 5% of 988 centers currently use Vibrant's new software platform -- the development of which was funded in part by federal money -- to answer calls, Dole told ABC News. Many are still using legacy software whose origins stretch back to the 2004 launch of the pre-988 lifeline—software that too often is ill-equipped to handle the complexities of remote work almost two decades later, Dole said.
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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