Culture
Ohio Department of Health hopes 988 becomes as ingrained as 911, saving lives along the way
By: Emily Votaw
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ATHENS, Ohio (WOUB) — In 2020 alone, 45,900 Americans died by suicide according to statistics from the Centers for Disease Control. This means suicide was the twelfth leading cause of deaths in the country overall, as well as the second leading cause of death for Americans ages 10-14 and 25-34.
This tragic trend is examined in detail by “Facing Suicide,” a documentary from Twin Cities PBS that WOUB-TV is broadcasting Tuesday, September 13 at 9 p.m. ET.
The 988 Crisis and Suicide Lifeline is a recently launched resource aimed at providing compassionate care to those facing suicidal thoughts. Beginning on July 16, dialing 988 connects callers with a caller specialist who can both assist in de-escalating suicidal thoughts the caller may be having, as well as connect the caller to a wealth of mental health resources in their community. The Ohio Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services hopes the lifeline will allow people who are considering taking their own life to dial 988 with the same immediacy that one might dial 911 if their home was on fire.
Doug Jackson, a 988 Administrator in the Office of Community Planning & Collaboration at Ohio Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services, and Stacey Frohnapfel-Hasson, Bureau Chief at Ohio Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services and the project lead for the 988 Crisis and Suicide Lifeline, took the time to talk to WOUB Culture about the recently launched resource and how they hope it impacts Ohioans. A condensed and edited transcript of the interview can be found below.
WOUB Culture: For listeners and readers who might have never heard of the 988 Crisis & Suicide Lifeline, how would you describe it?
Doug Jackson: The 988 Crisis & Suicide Lifeline is simply a three digit number that provides access to people in Ohio and across the country who may be experiencing a mental health crisis or thoughts of suicide. 988 is an additional way to access services through the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline, which has existed since 2005. The intent of a three digit number is to make it number one, accessible across the country. And number two, make it very easy to remember for people that are in crisis. This way they’re not having to do research and look up what a longer number is.
Stacey Frohnapfel-Hasson: I’ve been the lead in our problem gambling work for almost 10 years at this point. And one of the main components of that is the Ohio Problem Gambling Healthline. That is a statewide number that’s been available for about a decade to support individuals who find themselves in concern and crisis around their gambling behaviors. It’s also for people for loved ones who are concerned about a loved one’s gambling issues. In this case, the Ohio Problem Gambling Healthline has helped us build the framework for what 988 is now in Ohio.
WOUB Culture: I’m calling from a public media affiliate in Southeast Ohio. Do we have any statistics on suicide rates in our region?
Doug Jackson: We do. The Ohio Department of Health has a report for the suicide death rate per 100,000 people. And when we look at that – it has a breakdown per county, across all 88 counties in Ohio — we get a snapshot of where suicide may be higher in some regions and lower in others. And it helps us to identify what the needs are across the state. When we look at Southeast Ohio, interestingly enough, Gallia County has the highest suicide death rate in the state of Ohio. This is based on numbers from 2016 to 2020. That death rate is at 26.8 deaths per 100,000 people in population in that county. So, Gallia being the highest, you want to see if there’s any trend that’s broader across the region. Jackson County is the next highest at 24.8 deaths per 100,000 population. A little lower than those two are Vinton and Meigs counties – which are both in the same category of highest counties in Ohio for suicide deaths.
Stacey Frohnapfel-Hasson: I would add that some of the trends that we’ve seen in terms of more recent deaths by suicide have been in specific populations — such as younger people up through age 25; and more African Americans attempting and dealing with suicidal thoughts. We also see more suicides among populations that are in the LGBTQ focus group across the state. And so with all of those, the concerns are raised. How can individuals who may be uncomfortable about reaching out for help, get that help, and reach someone that they can talk to when they’re having suicidal thoughts? How can we help them before they actually take action in that space?
When we look at Southeast Ohio, interestingly enough, Gallia County has the highest suicide death rate in the state of Ohio. This is based on numbers from 2016 to 2020. That death rate is at 26.8 deaths per 100,000 people in population in that county. So, Gallia being the highest, you want to see if there’s any trend that’s broader across the region. Jackson County is the next highest at 24.8 deaths per 100,000 population. A little lower than those two are Vinton and Meigs counties – which are both in the same category of highest counties in Ohio for suicide deaths. – Doug Jackson, 988 Administrator in the Office of Community Planning & Collaboration at Ohio Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services
WOUB Culture: Why is a service such as the 988 Crisis & Suicide Lifeline so crucial?
Doug Jackson: We are fortunate to be living in a time in our society where mental health is seen as healthcare. And when we look at what mental health historically, it’s been something that’s been kept privately and dealt with in the dark. 988 allows people to shine a light on the help that they need, but do so confidentially. They can make a call and get help over the phone that doesn’t require going outside of their home. It doesn’t require going into an appointment. Really, the message that we want to convey through 988 is it’s ‘okay to not be okay.’ It’s okay to call for help and speak to somebody about the help that you need. And 80 percent of the calls that are received at a crisis lifeline are typically resolved on the phone. Callers report they feel less anxiety, less depression, less suicidal thoughts, just because of the conversation that they’ve had on the phone. The other 20 percent of the calls that are received might need additional help. They can gain that additional help through resources that the call specialist would connect them with in their local community. So those resources exist, but the caller may not know that they exist. So a call to 988 would help with that linkage to a local resource for additional follow up.
Stacey Frohnapfel-Hasson: We believe in using the phrase ‘nothing about us without us’ when it comes to the mental health and substance use and addiction work we do. And there have been many individuals with backgrounds in mental health and addiction issues and suicidal thoughts, and even suicide attempts, who have helped us through this planning process to make sure that 988 would be what someone needs in their time of crisis. And that way this process is in most part created by individuals who have themselves needed these kinds of services in the past.
WOUB Culture: What happens when someone calls the 988 Crisis & Suicide Lifeline?
Doug Jackson: That’s a great question. We want people to understand exactly what to expect when they do dial 988. So when somebody does dial 988, the first thing to understand is that someone will answer the phone. We actually have backup systems in place that if the call is not immediately answered at a local call center, then it rolls over to a backup call center. So the call will be answered. It is answered by a trained call specialist – someone who could be a clinician or counselor. It could be somebody who has gone through the same types of training, but might not have the credentials behind their name. The caller is going to have a conversation with that call specialist. The call specialist can ask some questions to gain some information about what crisis is happening in that person’s life. More than anything, they listen. Then they can help – they can assess if any other resources need to be made available to that person. So what we’ve done by offering 988 is provided that safe place for a caller to call without feeling like a police officer is going show up at their door, because before 988, those in mental health crises had to call 911, which would often result in law enforcement showing up. Law enforcement is a great resource, but they are probably not trained to handle a mental health crisis. With 988, we can actually reduce the need for police involvement by allowing a person in crisis to get what they need through a telephone call. And then that is the appropriate care that can oftentimes be all that is needed for the individual.
WOUB Culture: What kinds of resources are freely available to those who might find themselves facing suicidal thoughts and urges?
Stacey Frohnapfel-Hasson: I like that you threw in the word ‘free’! A lot of the individuals who would call, they’re either going to have Medicaid, or they’re going to have private insurance for outpatient care. There are cases where someone needs an outpatient appointment, a teletherapy appointment, or maybe they just need to speak with a clinician once or twice to help them feel stabilized so they can thrive in the community. One of the first things that would happen would be that they would work with a social worker to determine what kind of benefits they would have access to. Ohio’s behavioral health providers have sliding scales if an individual doesn’t have any kind of coverage available to them for behavioral health. We also have a number of resources available at mha.ohio.gov. There are also resources available online through NAMI, the National Alliance on Mental Illness.
WOUB Culture: I’ve got to ask: what has it been like for you both, as public servants, to be involved in the development of a resource that has the kind of life-saving potential of 988?
Stacey Frohnapfel-Hasson: I’ve been a public servant for a little over two decades at this point, and that is just such a serious commitment. Folks do not go down this path in order to make money. The goal is to bring the services to Ohioans who need them. That’s been my goal since it was the Department of Alcohol and Drug Addiction Services, and then within the Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services. When we talk to people with lived experience and they say things like ‘when I was younger and tried to take my own life, I had no idea who to talk to. I had no idea who to call and something like 988 would’ve been amazing.’ And I’m so glad it’s here because first of all, folks can remember the number — just like you remember 911.
Doug Jackson: For me, I would say that if my house was on fire – 911 has been ingrained. And it’s been that way to me since being a child – calling it would be an automatic response to me and wouldn’t take extra thought or time to get the help that I needed. On July 16, when 988 became the three digit number to access crisis and suicide help — myself and the director of the Ohio Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services Director, Lori Criss were at a call center. We were in the call center as the phones began to ring – and while we weren’t hearing the calls, we knew call specialists were picking up the phones and greeting callers with an empathetic voice, a listening voice, and they provided the resources that were needed for those callers. Walking away on the launch day of 988, knowing that this system was in place, was probably one of the more rewarding experiences I’ve had in my career of social services.