The 988 crisis line launched by the Arizona Health Care Cost Containment System (AHCCCS) in July is yielding positive results for community members and care providers, according to the Mental Health Parity Advisory Committee.
Joshua Stegemeyer, a suicide prevention program manager, said that Arizona started to see some preliminary data on the subject and performed above standard at every metric.
The advisory committee said before the launch of 988, the Regional Behavioral Health Authority (RBHA) handled more calls in May than in July.
The Arizona crisis line survey results said that of those callers, 80% identified as female.
Stegemeyer said that there was a lot of concern about how the system would perform for various reasons.
“We still have seen no indication that the service is struggling or slowing down within Arizona,” Stegemeyer said. He also noted that the July numbers, “had about a 50% increase of people calling into the national lifeline.”
The Arizona Department of Health Services reported approximately 1,300 suicides this year.
According to the Anxiety and Depression Association of America, 40 million Americans struggle with anxiety disorders, and around 16 million adults have experienced at least one major depressive episode in the past year.
A study performed by the National Center for Health Statistics, estimates that one-fifth of U.S. adults with mental health challenges lack a consistent source of care, and more than half of participants reported affordability-related barriers to accessing healthcare.
The 988 crisis line is a free and confidential way for Arizona residents to receive support.
Stegemeyer’s 988 statistics showed that since the launch, over 5,300 people called the crisis line.
“We see that friends, family, and behavioral health care providers are calling this number on behalf of someone in crisis, and together they add up to more people that are calling for themselves,” Stegemeyer said. “So that’s an exciting trend.”
According to the Arizona Department of Health Services, the crisis response team is able to handle the situation with the caller 70% of the time. And when the mobile team is dispatched, they can resolve 21% of the issues.
A fear some callers have is being hospitalized unwillingly as a result of calling 988, however Stagemeyer said hospitalization only occurs a little over 2% of the time. He believes this measurement shows “how successful the program has been at averting unnecessary ER visits and invasive police investigation.”
CJ Loiselle, a crisis administrator at AHCCCS, said there has been a lot of misunderstanding with the idea that 988 is replacing 911.
Loiselle said she wants people to use 988 and 911 when they feel it is appropriate because “access doesn’t cover the whole population, but anybody can access the crisis system.”
“(988) is working in the background to make sure that if they do contact through 988, they are very seamlessly transitioned into the behavioral health system, and that they get the appropriate response to minimize law enforcement and EMS having to go out for behavioral health calls,” Loiselle said.
However, Loiselle admitted the team faces some issues related to forwarding calls from out-of-state numbers.
Nichol Porter, an attendee at one of the advisory committee meetings, said that when she tried calling the crisis line a few months ago, the responder was from New Jersey.
Stegemeyer said that the crisis line is still working to resolve the issue including “promoting the local crisis lines to ensure that there is no lag time between when the phone is picked up and when you’re actually talking to somebody inside Arizona who can connect you to services.”
Loiselle said that after a 988 call has been made, RBHA has requirements for follow ups in order to check back in on the caller, all in hopes of reducing the suicide rate across the state and the country.
If you or someone you know is suicidal or suffering with mental illness, visit the Arizona Department of Health Services website for resources.
Contact the reporter at mjminnic@asu.edu
