Program Updates
September 2023 Issue
September Is National Suicide Prevention Month
Who Calls 988 and Why?
When life gets tough, it can feel overwhelming. People call, text, and chat the 988 Lifeline to talk about a lot of things, including:
Thoughts of suicide Mental and physical illness Drinking too much Loneliness Anxiety Trauma Sexual orientation Relationships Drug use Economic worries Feeling depressed and many more
Drawing the Circle Wider: Equity in Access Matters
Building partnerships to support 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline's reach throughout South Carolina is an important piece of advancing equity in access to crisis services. While 988's first year of operation in the state has given not only callers but program administrators reason for hope, there are still members of our community who may be reluctant to engage with emergency or crisis intervention services, which leaves lives on the line.
During recent committee meetings of South Carolina's 988 Advisory Board, Nicole Coleman, Volunteer Coordinator/Trainer for MHAGC's 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline, was moved by the unique experiences and needs expressed by specific communities and took the opportunity to engage in ways that have produced new partnerships, mutual learning, and opportunities to build trust.
Coleman says, "The goal is to expand accessibility and inclusivity of our services so that everyone is getting equitable and excellent services whenever they reach out." She adds, "We see such a wide range of circumstances and experiences from people calling in on the hotlines, so making sure our [Lifeline workers] are educated and aware of how best to support everyone is so important." Here are some highlights from those emerging partnerships.
Mandy Halloran, Director of Public Health & Disability Integration at ABLE SC, collaborated with Coleman to provide mutual education about each agency's services. Halloran help Lifeline staff learn why people with disabilities are at higher risk of adverse outcomes during emergency interventions and urged staff to consider how these interactions may feel for people who may be nonverbal, have different communication styles, or process information or commands in different ways.
The South Carolina Coalition Against Domestic Violence And Sexual Assault (SCCADVASA) supports domestic violence and sexual assault agencies all over the state. As part of Suicide Prevention Month, Coleman will speak to all SCCADVASA member agencies about crisis intervention and suicide prevention. In turn, Shannon Nix, Director of Member Support and Technical Assistance for SCCADVASA, made a presentation to Lifeline workers on how to talk to survivors of domestic violence and sexual assault. The presentation covered a variety of topics, including safety planning, which is distinct from safety planning with someone who may be suicidal. Nix pointed out the high correlation between domestic violence and sexual assault trauma and suicide and mental health interventions. Coleman looks forward to more collaboration with these and other agencies that have an interest or need related the work of the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline.
Catawba Nation
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Native Americans and Alaska Natives are affected by suicide at a rate disproportionate to the general U.S. population. Recently, federal grants administered through SAMHSA are providing resources to support 988 tribal response in indigenous communities.
Catawba Nation, headquartered in Rock Hill, SC intends to draw on these resources to open its own 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline facility and mobile crisis unit. The Nation recently hired a 988 Tribal Response Crisis Counselor who has met with staff from both MHAGC's 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline and SC DMH's mobile crisis unit to begin planning and learning about the existing systems.
The Nation intends to model its program on Washington State's Native and Strong Lifeline, a first-of-its-kind program dedicated to serving American Indian and Alaska Native people. Following this model, calls to the Catawba Nation's lifeline would be answered by tribal members with both lived experience in the Nation and training in crisis intervention.
The process of planning for, building up, and implementing a new 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline will take time. Coleman says she's happy to "help bridge the gap and support creating this service" and has enjoyed learning about the Nation's needs and plans and working with their Tribal Counselor in these initial stages of planning.
For those interested in learning more about efforts to support mental health and suicide prevention for and by Native people, check out the Suicide Prevention Resource Center's American Indian/Alaska Native Settings page. For youth, see the We R Native website and resource list linked to the right.
We R Native is a comprehensive health resource for Native youth, by Native youth. Click the Getting Help page below for more information. For additional We R Native resources, click here or open the Youth Support list below.
Youth-Resources-94449.pdf988 is for anyone, at any time, for any reason.