What Arizona's stats for the 988 hotline look like so far
After the first three months, the mental health crisis line received 12,000 calls in Arizona.
The new 988 number launched across the country in July as an easier to remember line to call in the case of a mental health emergency.
There is still some skepticism around the crisis line, which NPR detailed in an August story about the problems that could arise from those who seek help through 988.
Other posts on Instagram and Twitter conveyed similar concerns, saying that the hotline sends law enforcement officers to check on people at risk of suicide without their consent and that people, especially from LGBTQ+ communities and communities of color, may be forced into treatment.
Molly Longman, a former Phoenix New Times staff writer, dug further into this issue for Refinery 29, writing:
Perhaps the most concerning issue with 9-8-8 was that, in some cases, police will be called to respond to 9-8-8 calls — for example, if the person answering thinks you’re at risk of harming yourself and others (which was also true when you called the previous NSPL 1-800 line). This police or Emergency Medical Services (EMS) involvement may be consensual or not. This news was surprising to many, as 9-8-8 has been touted as a way to help reduce harmful police interventions in mental health emergencies. And while it very well might do that, many said the fact that police or other emergency responders can be called at all was under-advertised.
I confirmed with Solari Crisis and Human Resources, the group in charge of the hotline through AHCCCS, that there are instances where police are sometimes sent without consent.
Here’s my interaction with Solari:
Fourth Estate 48: When they are needed, what type of first responders are sent?
Solari: In general, police are sent due to their response time and their training to handle potential violence. Solari does communicate with the 911 center that the person is experiencing a mental health crisis. Where we have access to dispatch mobile teams, we send a mobile team immediately with the goal of removing police from the situation, if possible. The fire department is called if self-harm actions have been taken such as an overdose.
Fourth Estate 48: Are the callers notified that first responders will be coming?
Solari: Often times yes, though there are occasions when they are not notified. For example, we would not notify a person who is in a public space and threatening to harm someone and who is believed to be capable of doing so.
A Solari representative told me they do have a short script for doing risk assessments after they have ensured the caller is safe.
“We focus on responding to that caller’s specific needs, by staying flexible and communicating to them in the way they speak conversationally, not in a way based on a script,” said Thomas Bond, the senior director of communications, marketing, and education.
So what type of training are operators tasked to go through?
Solari staff are trained between 4-6 weeks based on their skill level and proficiency. The training program includes basics in mental health-related issues, crisis intervention, assessment, resources, role playing, and direct observation of and by an experienced trainer. We then have a period of up to two months where crisis specialists review every call they take with a supervisor to ensure they are giving the best level of care.
Bond said their workers “would not call first responders unless the person is in an unsafe space such as they are experiencing suicidal thoughts with a plan and means, or they are actively in a physical fight or loud argument and this cannot be de-escalated over the phone.”
Here’s a breakdown of calls that came in to the 988 hotline:
July- roughly 3,500
August- more than 4,000
September about 4,600
I received these numbers in mid-October so do not have the most recently monthly figures.
Bond told me that the top five reasons people have reached out are: Self-Harm/Suicidal (38% on average), Social Concerns (15%), Anxiety (13%), Depression (11%), and Coordination of Care (9%).
“A high rate of callers are choosing to remain anonymous on the 988 line (on average, 40% of callers) – while on our local crisis lines this is much lower, averaging around 12%,” he said, adding that veterans or active military calls account for about 4% of the overall number.
As the months go on, I’ll continue to provide some updates on these figures and when I last checked in they did not have a demographic breakdown so hopefully that’s something I’ll be able to write about as well.