988 let down

 

My name is Tracy Jay Gillespie. I live in St Joseph, Missouri. I am a mental health and homeless advocate. I've been working with individuals who are struggling for the past 6 years. I myself have struggled with mental health and homelessness.

There are many resources available in my community to assist individuals in need. The mental health crisis hotline 988 is a great resource to utilize if you are experiencing a mental health crisis.

With my lived experience, I have seen first hand a mental Health crisis turn into an emergency. I recently reached out to utilize this resource for myself. I was not having a mental Health crisis. However, I was quickly approaching one. I knew I needed someone to talk to about what I was experiencing.

My phone had been deactivated due to late payment. I live a little over a mile away from my mental health treatment center. With no service plan on my phone I had no way to reach out to anyone.

It was my understanding that the 988 clinician would assist you. If the 988 clinician declared you needed on site help they would contact your treatment center. The 988 clinician would stay on the line until your treatment team arrived.

I found out that 988 is not a free line. I thought even though my phone was deactivated I could reach help. The call would not go through. My only other option would be to call 911. I did not want to call 911.

As a mental health professional, I think this needs to change. If it has not already happened in our state, someone will commit suicide because they're unable to reach help due to a phone service plan. I feel that people will call 988 way before they call 911 when having a mental health crisis.

This potential life saving resource should be available from any phone, anytime or anywhere regardless if you have an active service plan, just like 911.

I actually called our local 911 dispatch to ask them if someone called 911 with a mental health crisis, could they be connected to 988. I was told no.

Local agencies have their own policies and procedures they need to follow. If someone having a mental health crisis calls 911 in my community, more than likely EMS would be dispatched.

An ambulance would then transport the individual to our local hospital. The person having the mental Health crisis is now looking at at least a $10,000 hospital bill.

I feel that as a taxpayer, the taxes that I pay in to help support and operate the emergency services could be affected.

90% of the people that I serve in my community are experiencing homelessness. Most of them do have a cell phone, most don't have service. 100% of them at some point will need some help. People experiencing homelessness, people who are addicted, people suffering with mental health are all at a higher risk for committing suicide. These are also the people who do not have the service plans.

It is almost biased that 988 can only serve those with phone service plans.

This issue is very important and personal to me. Like I said, I was involved in a crisis that turned into an emergency. A person who was experiencing homelessness hung themselves with their belt. Another person and I cut him down after he hung himself. I know firsthand how real suicide could be. More importantly I know that a friendly voice can save a life if they're able to be 

reached.