Suicide and Crisis Lifeline
Alabama county commissions plan mental health push in 2024 legislative session
AUBURN – The Association of County Commissions of Alabama plans to make a push on mental health issues in the 2024 session of the Alabama Legislature. The organization, holding its annual meeting in Auburn this week, plans to support expansion of residential treatment facilities; improved training for corrections officers on mental health crises; additional funding […]
Insurers often shortchange mental health care coverage, despite a federal law
If you or someone you know is in need of help, dial 988 for the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline for free and confidential support or text HELLO to 741741 for the Crisis Text Line. When she tried to find help for her daughter’s depression, Michelle Romero was frantic, panicked and heartbroken. She searched and searched for mental […]
Most states have yet to permanently fund 988. Call centers want certainty
This story was produced by KFF Health News. Since the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline transitioned a year ago to the three-digit crisis phone number 988, there has been a 33% increase in the number of calls, chats and texts to the hotline. But even with that early sign of success, the program’s financial future is […]
Suicide prevention is a priority for me now
Editor’s note: This commentary discusses grief, loss and suicide. I live in an old Denver building with six units, one of which was occupied, until recently, by a mathematician. I met this neighbor several years ago when I asked permission to enter her apartment, because I was looking for the building’s main water shut-off valve, […]
Alabama’s 988 crisis lifeline supporters call for more funding amidst growing mental health needs
Working at a call center for the state’s 988 suicide and crisis hotline can be rewarding. Kelsi McDowell, volunteer coordinator at Birmingham’s 988 call center, has been with the center since 2015, when she started as a volunteer. Currently, she helps out where she can and does a bit of everything around the call center. […]
Social media, trauma, hate speech add to youth mental health crisis, U.S. Senate panel told
WASHINGTON — U.S. senators agreed during a hearing Thursday the country’s children are going through a youth mental health crisis, though some of the committee’s members disagreed about what role Congress has to play. Senators detailed a complicated patchwork of issues that contribute to youth mental health challenges, including violence and trauma within schools and […]
Suicide and crisis hotline bill moves out of Alabama Senate committee, stalls in House
A bill to fund the Alabama 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline remains in a House committee following disagreements over funding. HB 389, sponsored by House Ways and Means General Fund chair Rex Reynolds, R-Huntsville, would create a 988 Suicide and Crisis Call hotline for suicide prevention and crisis management. It would also require the Department […]
Funding becomes a sticking point in Alabama suicide and crisis hotline bill
A bill to provide funding for a suicide and crisis hotline encountered opposition in a House committee last week. But supporters of HB 389, sponsored by House Ways and Means General Fund chair Rex Reynolds, R-Huntsville, are optimistic it can pass into law in the final nine days of the current session. The bill would […]