SARASOTA, Fla. — Mental health advocates have urged people to take advantage of the "988" lifeline to get the required help before a crisis even occurs.
The National Suicide Prevention Hotline launched the lifeline in July after years of a push for a simpler number people can remember easily.
One of the leaders of a mental health advocacy group in Sarasota said while having the lifeline is major progress — more resources are still needed in the community.
"We have been working at the state and local level to try to give people a lot more information about what it is, what it means and how much it can help folks that are in crisis," Colleen Thayer, the Executive Director of National Alliance on Mental Illness Sarasota Manatee, said.
NAMI is just one of more than 200 mental health agencies in Florida that make up the 988 suicide prevention network.
Trained dispatchers with the Crisis Center of Tampa Bay have been taking in those calls since the line went live on July 16. In the three weeks since the launch, advocates say it couldn't have come at a better time.
"Throughout the state, the call volumes went up pretty significantly in that first couple of weeks and that just means that the word is getting out and that's good," Thayer explained.
Advocates are hoping the resource helps families de-escalate crisis situations that involve issues like behavioral health challenges or threats of self-harm and suicide.
Thayer said there are still gaps that need to be filled as experts take stock of the impact of having a crisis hotline like 988 dedicated to mental health issues.
"There's still not enough treatment available and the right kind of treatment. More funding for mobile crisis is one thing, more funding for crisis care, so that inpatient type of care," Thayer said.
According to the organization, there is also a great need for 'respite beds' in the community. Thayer said this could be where folks who don't meet the criteria for in-patient hospitalization can catch a break and be separated from their stressors and triggers or pending a solution to their problem.
Along with the 988 crisis hotline for mental health issues, there is also a 211 number for social service emergencies like food and shelter.
In the meantime, the Crisis Center of Tampa Bay is recruiting more staff to answer those calls.