HELENA, Mont. (NMB) – The Montana 988 Suicide Prevention and Mental Health Crisis Lifeline launched Saturday, July 16th.
Veterans who dial 988 will be given a prompt to dial “1” to be routed to the Veteran Crisis Line.
Calls made to 988 in Montana are routed to one of three independent crisis call centers: Voices of Hope in Great Falls, The Help Center in Bozeman, and the Western Montana Mental Health Lifeline Call Center in Missoula.
Over the past three years, the Montana crisis call centers have averaged about 10,000 calls per year. More than 90 percent of the calls made in Montana are answered in Montana, with fewer than ten percent sent to another call center in the national network backup system.
To help further bolster call center capacity, DPHHS will use a nearly $400,000 grant to maintain staffing levels to manage call capacity at more than 90 percent with the transition to 988.
According to the National Association on Mental Illness, about 163,000 Montanans have a mental health condition, and more than 573,000 Montanans live in an area where there is a shortage of mental health professionals.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Montana is third in the nation in per capita suicides, and suicide is one of the leading causes of death in our state.
More details on the 988 Suicide Prevention and Mental Health Crisis Lifeline can be found here. Additional suicide prevention information and resources are also available on the DPHHS website.
Courtesy of the Governor’s Office
