A new three-digit phone number, 988, will launch nationwide Saturday for anyone to call or text in a mental health crisis.
In some states, 988 will simply work as a shortcut to reach the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline. In Oklahoma, calls are being answered by an in-state crisis call center to address and deescalate mental health crises in the moment and serve as an entry point for Oklahomans to get connected with other mental health resources.
Oklahoma’s 988 line has been operational since July 5. In that time, more than 575 calls have been answered, and mobile crisis teams have been dispatched 34 times, according to the nonprofit managing the call center.
What is 988?
988 is the three-digit phone number to call in a mental health crisis, whether that is thoughts of suicide, substance abuse issues or other mental health problems, like depression or anxiety.
Oklahomans can call 988 if they’re in any sort of substance-abuse or mental-health related crisis, said Jeff Dismukes, a spokesman for the state Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services.
“But it’s also just a resource for Oklahomans statewide to be linked to the right services at the right time,” he said. “I’m extremely excited about this, just from an advocate standpoint.”
988 can also be used to get help if a loved one needs support in a crisis.
Who answers 988 calls in Oklahoma?
Calls to 988 in Oklahoma are answered by Solari Crisis and Human Services, an Arizona-based nonprofit that won Oklahoma’s crisis call center contract.
Solari has established an Oklahoma City call center to run the state’s 988 line. Solari has since 2007 offered crisis-line services in Arizona, and later added other services in the state like dispatching mobile crisis teams.
Working in Oklahoma is Solari’s first time running a full crisis line outside of Arizona.
If Solari’s Oklahoma call center is at capacity, Heartline and Family and Children’s Services will serve as a backup, Oklahoma’s mental health commissioner has said previously.
What happens next?
Most crisis calls — about 80%, according to the state mental health department — will be resolved with a call to the 988 line.
But if necessary, Oklahoma’s 988 call center can dispatch a mobile crisis team to come to the caller. The mobile crisis teams include a licensed mental health professional and a certified peer recovery support specialist or case manager.
The state is already working with a dozen treatment providers across the state to operate mobile crisis teams, and more will come online “very soon,” said Dismukes, with the state mental health department.
NorthCare, a mental health clinic in Oklahoma City, is one of the organizations staffing a mobile crisis team and has responded to 11 calls since 988’s launch. The team was “able to put boots on the ground pretty quickly,” said the clinic’s Vice President for Growth Connie Schlittler.
NorthCare’s Champions team — launched earlier this year as a collaborative effort with the Oklahoma City Police Department — has been tasked with responding to 988 calls. While the team works in tandem with the police department to respond to some mental health calls to 911, the response to 988 is different.
“Their intent is that the police department would not be involved in our response to (988) calls,” Schlittler said.
Depending on the situation, 988 call takers will be able to arrange transportation to a mental-health urgent care facility or crisis center.
At any step along the way, the 988 call center can schedule follow-up appointments for the caller with mental health treatment providers in their area.
How is response different?
988 and 911 are meant for different services, but the two systems will work together.
A response from emergency services or law enforcement may be necessary in some cases — for instance, if a suicide attempt is in progress — but the goal of 988 is to help stabilize people in crisis “in the least restrictive manner” possible, according to the national Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, or SAMHSA.
“Families might be reluctant to call 911 because they’re worried about a law enforcement response,” Dismukes said. “I do hope that this helps break down some of those barriers.”
Less than 2% of calls to the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline have required referral to emergency services like 911, according to the state mental health department.
But coordination between the 988 and 911 systems will be “crucial,” said Oklahoma City police chief Wade Gourley at a May city council meeting.
“People will still call 911 on mental health emergencies, just because that’s what they’ve been conditioned to do,” Gourley said. “But now that dispatcher has the opportunity … to hand that off to the 988 number and get an alternative response.”