HARRISBURG, Pa. — Members of the Wolf administration celebrated the launch of the new 988 Suicide Prevention Lifeline on Wednesday. The new lifeline will provide Pennsylvanians with an easier way to access mental health support during a crisis.
"We’ve made progress in recognizing how essential mental health is to our overall well-being and quality of life," said Meg Snead, Acting Secretary of the Pennsylvania Department of Human Services. "Mental health is health."
Pennsylvanians who call 988 will be patched into one of 13 call centers with mental health professionals throughout the state. In anticipation of more calls, the Pa. Department of Human Services will continue working to improve service at call centers, which already answer 85% of in-state calls.
“The Federal Substance Abuse Mental Health Administration asked for states achieve a 90% answer rate from in-state calls for the first year that 988 is active," said Kristin Houser, Deputy Secretary of the Pa. DHS. "So we are just about there.”
Democratic Representative Mike Schlossburg says 988 will help break the stigma when it comes to asking for mental health services. He adds that while the new number is a good start, more work is needed to provide quality mental healthcare resources.
“The legislature put more than $200 million into new behavioral health services," said Schlossburg. "But thanks to two years and arguably decades of disinvestment, we’ve got a long way to go before we get where we need to be.”
Pennsylvanians will still be able to use the old 1-800 number to call for mental health crisis responders.