LEXINGTON, Ky. (LEX 18) — It's officially been a year since the nation transitioned to using 9-8-8, the new number for the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline, formerly known as the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline.
So far, more than 5 million contacts have been made by crisis centers across the nation.
Governor Andy Beshear says more than 22,000 calls or texts for help have been answered in the state, a 22% increase from the year before.
Most by local non-profits partnering to assist people locally.
"There's something that just comes across more organically when you're able to just talk to someone and just hear a voice that has been trained to listen," said Nikki Stanaitis, Chief Clinician for New Vista, a non-profit community mental health center in Lexington.
Since July 2022, Stanaitis says they've answered 3,764 calls. The year before that number was 3,105.
"I feel like it's working. The key is that when you start with just call and talk to someone who cares, you're much more likely to get them a connection to the care that they need because it's a low barrier. You're not asking for anything in particular, you're just letting somebody call and talk and from that conversation, there's so many opportunities for us to connect someone to additional resources if they want, and additional services that are now more available than ever," said Stanaitis.
She says the biggest challenge has been trying to meet the increased need. They're trying to find volunteers they can train to support the growth. Right now, there are 40 staff members who answer the calls.
"Our goal is for it to be predominantly volunteer driven. Right now, it is much more predominantly set staff driven right now, I'd say probably we're just now onboarding volunteers and starting that process, because it's such an intensive role. We spent a lot of time training and letting individuals shadow and giving them a lot of experience," said Stanaitis.
Annually New Vista provides $700,000 in free clinical services, maintains a staff of 200 licensed therapists, psychiatrists, and nurses, serves the community with 52 program locations, and takes more than 75,000 phone calls on their 24-Hour Helpline 1.800.928.8000. A helpline that has also seen an increase in calls.
