Here’s what to expect from the national 988 lifeline in Arizona

If you call in from an Arizona phone number, your call should be directed to one group that’s contracted to manage all of the state’s crisis calls.

But if you’re a transplant and have a phone number from out of state, the FCC says the hotline will automatically route you to that state’s resources instead.

Arizona’s 988 system is handled by AHCCCS, or Arizona’s Healthcare Cost Containment System, who contracts with Tempe-based Solari to take the crisis calls.

CJ Loiselle with AHCCSS said last week in an interview with 12News that the Arizona crisis hotline already got more than 35K calls per month. Now, they’re expecting an increase since 988 went live.

“When you do call 988 you’re going to be connected to a counselor that understands trauma and crisis,” Loiselle said.

A Solari spokesperson said the company received 339 988 calls in Arizona over the weekend.  Solari also handles 988 calls in Oklahoma and has a call center in Oklahoma City to handle those calls in-state.

All Solari calls are supposed to be confidential and a majority are resolved over the phone, according to the group’s website.  If not, Solari says it could send a mobile crisis team to help in-person.

It’s possible police could be contacted depending on the situation, like if a person might be a danger to themselves or others.

Police department’s like Tempe’s say they already contract with Solari for mental health calls and 988 shouldn’t change their dispatch operations.

In Mesa, a police spokesperson said that 988 calls could be routed to police dispatch in certain situations, but said it was “unlikely that a crisis center would transfer a person in crisis that they have on the line since they are the mental health professionals trained to handle and deescalate those types of situations.”