988 mental health hotline gets funding to expand, enhance services
It's been nearly a year since the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline hotline launched.
If you or someone you know is in emotional distress or a suicidal crisis, call the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline at 988. Crisis counselors are available 24/7.
AUSTIN (KXAN) — It's been nearly a year since the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline hotline launched. On Wednesday, experts from the federal, state and local levels met in Austin to talk about the milestones of the hotline's first year and the future of crisis care.
Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, or SAMHS, recently announced awards that will expand and enhance mobile crisis response teams, including two in the state of Texas, and more than $200 million in new funding opportunities for the 988 Lifeline.
A crisis call center at Integral Care's Dove Springs Clinic in south Austin is one of the Texas centers getting some of that funding.
Experts met at the clinic Wednesday to talk about the future of the clinic and the importance of the lifeline.
"Sometimes people just need to hear another voice of support — and that's what 988 offers. So we hope that whether people call, text and chat, that they're able to make a human connection and be able to talk about what's happening with them," said Monica Johnson, director of the 988 & Behavioral Health Crisis Coordinating Office.
Call-takers answered nearly 12,000 calls from Texans just last month.