988 dispatchers seeing rise in calls to crisis hotline

If you or someone you know is experiencing a mental health crisis, call or text 988 to reach the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline available 24/7. To reach the 24/7 Crisis Text Helpline, text 4HOPE to 741741. You can also call Netcare's 24/7 Crisis Line at 614-276-2273 or its homeless hotline at 614-274-7000.

COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) -- May marks Mental Health Awareness Month in the United States. It's an opportunity to raise awareness not only about the importance of mental health in our lives, but also the resources available to those who may be struggling.

In July of 2022, the U.S. officially transitioned the nation's 10-digit National Suicide Prevention line to just three digits-- 988. Now, clinicians who man the hotline at a local level said they're seeing more calls than ever.

"Sometimes they have no idea that they may be down the street from me," says Pru Hudson, an ERC clinician with Netcare Access. "Some of them are a bit more savvy, and they'll say, 'Are you in central Ohio?' I think some people find it very helpful."

Pru Hudson calls every day a "roll of the dice." After having spent most of her career working in trauma and crisis in hospitals, she now uses her expertise in a new way.

"They called, they took the big first step, and I just breathe and tell them who I am. I'm here to hold space. How can I help? And really it will just roll from there," Hudson said of her approach to each call. "Just remember they took that step, and I try to thank them for doing that."

Hudson has been with Netcare Access for two years and is one of the organization's 40-to-50 clinicians who man the 988 hotline day and night.

"For Netcare, and Ohio, it's very important to have calls be answered locally. So, Ohio actually has 19 centers, including Netcare, answering these calls," Caleb Yoho, Netcare's manager of crisis hotlines, said. "988 has built in kind of a multi-level system so that if a center is not able to answer a call, it gets routed quickly to another Ohio center."

99% of calls to the 988 hotline in Ohio are answered by someone in Ohio. But as call volume has increased, so too has the complexity of the calls.

"This may be the worst day of their life. Some of these problems are overwhelming, and in that breath, I have to say, 'It's not mine. I can help them get through this,'" Hudon said. "We just have to do this. No matter how long it takes, we'll get through this."

Calls may range from anywhere between 20 minutes and two hours.

Their goal is to help the caller process what they're dealing with, while also helping them remain in the community safely.

"We actually are currently working on a new program with Franklin County, where we will be trying to follow up with people for a much longer time to help them utilize resources, check in to kind of see where they are in that crisis, and try to provide some support really any way that we can," Yoho said.

Netcare said it is currently answering double to triple the number of calls compared to when the program started two years ago. And while they're exceeding their goal of answering each call within 20 seconds, they say the need for resources has never been greater.

"As far as we've come, there still is a certain amount of stigma and embarrassment people feel when discussing their mental health or discuss going through a crisis," Yoho said. "I anticipate as 988 continues to grow, we'll always be looking to add more staff, because ultimately we want to answer these calls as quickly as possible. So, having more staff means we're available to more people."