Starting next weekend, Johnson Countians seeking mental health assistance can dial 988 and connect to local crisis call centers.
What’s changing? On July 16, the National Suicide Prevention Line that directs to local crisis call centers will be reachable at 988.
- The switch to the new three-digit number was federally approved in July 2020, establishing a new “911 for mental health.”
- Mental health center officials noted that anyone who has a medical emergency should still call 911.
- Gov. Laura Kelly signed Senate Bill 19 into law in June, establishing the implementation of the 988 line in Kansas.
What does it mean for Johnson County? The transition will mean an increase in resources at the Johnson County Mental Health Center.
- The county has been putting together a 988 Crisis Team to respond to calls to the hotline.
- The team will consist of two licensed clinicians and some part-time support, as well as 10 crisis call specialists — which moved forward when the Johnson County Board of County Commissioners approved the hiring of four of them last month.
Can people still call the local hotline? The existing crisis line for the center is still accessible at (913) 268-0156.
- This number will still be reachable after the national hotline transitions to 988.
Bigger picture: This transition to the national crisis line comes as demand continues to grow for mental health resources in Johnson County.
- Nathan Carter, community relations manager for the Johnson County Mental Health Center, said calls to the center have doubled in volume since 2017.
- For comparison, the center received 17,684 mental health crisis calls in all of 2017, compared with 49,314 crisis calls in 2021 and 35,163 so far this year.
- Carter said this stark increase in calls speaks to more willingness from residents to reach out for help, as well as a growing familiarity with the center’s resources.
Key quote: “The implementation of 988 is the result of many, many years of advocacy by the mental health community,” Carter said. “The creation of 988 as an easy-to-remember number will make crisis support services and resources more accessible and equitable around the country.”
