The National Suicide Prevention and Mental Health Crisis System, 9-8-8, is coming to Georgia and goes live July 16, 2022.
This 9-8-8 system “will open the door for millions of Americans to seek the help they need, while sending the message to the country that healing, hope and help are happening every day,” according to the Georgia Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities (DBHDD).
In Georgia, the 9-8-8 calls will be answered by the Georgia Crisis and Access Line (GCAL), 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year, according to the government website.
Some of 9-8-8s key features include, connecting a person in behavioral health crisis to someone who can address their immediate needs and help connect them to ongoing care; promote cost-efficiency by providing the most appropriate response; reducing burden on law enforcement, public health, and other safety resources when not appropriate; and helping end the stigma of seeking or accessing behavioral healthcare.
“The creation of the nationally available 9-8-8 hotline is a proactive approach for someone to seek help during a mental health or substance abuse crisis,” said Sheriff Chad Nichols.
This 9-8-8 system will operate similarly to GCAL, where individuals determined to be in immediate danger are transferred to a local 911 service. Individuals in need of crisis management will receive a 24/7 response to assess the situation.
“Georgia has made strides with the GCAL line already in place and that will be where the 9-8-8 calls go to,” Nichols said.
Commissioner Kent Woerner discussed 9-8-8 at a Board of Commissioners meeting in January, focusing on how Rabun County can prepare for the transition.
Woerner said 9-8-8 will be easier to use and that he wants to ensure the county is prepared to handle the call volume. He said that 9-8-8 will give people the opportunity to talk to trained professionals over the phone who can assess their needs and determine what the next step will be in responding to their mental health needs.
Woerner said the state will be funding the system and the county has to respond.
“I think we’ve got to be prepared and to respond to whatever happens,” Woerner said. “It’s a continuum of care,” he said about providing mental health services.
Gregg Dover, 911 CAD Manager for Rabun County, said some of the calls from the crisis line will filter down to Rabun 911.
“When they get a call from someone in need and determine a response is required, they will contact our 911 center with the details. Then we will send the proper response,” Dover said.
He said Rabun 911 currently gets mental health/suicide calls but he does not expect much of a higher call volume with the 9-8-8 change.
Dover added that the initial calls to the Mental Health Crisis Number will be handled by the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline by specially training counselors.
Nichols said that he doesn’t expect Georgia to have as much of a higher caller volume as other states, but he anticipates a higher call volume for law enforcement officers.
Dover said the challenge comes in funding this system.
“The main problem is with the system to help and support these people. Funding has been cut federally and from the state for mental health services, and a lot of people in need may be out of medications, or in need of counseling or in-patient treatment at a mental health facility,” Dover said.
Woerner said this also further proves the glaring lack of availability for mental health crisis centers and crisis stabilization units in our area. He said that commissioners are working with organizations and looking at ways to bring more mental health services closer to Rabun County. Currently, people have to travel as far as Gainesville in some cases to obtain the mental health services they need.
Nichols agrees that the lack of close crisis centers is a problem.
Amanda Pileski, PhD, of Georgia Mountain Psychological Associates, said the 9-8-8 system will bring awareness to the shortage of mental health services in Rabun County.
Nichols said that the hotline has the potential to increase transport volumes by the sheriff’s office.
“As far as the Sheriff’s Office is concerned we will respond to those situations as best as we can to help mitigate the person’s crisis,” Nichols said about responding to calls. “So the process now has us taking someone to our local ER or they may show up on their own accord. If we take them we have to stay with the patient until they are accepted into a mental facility. If we do not take them, we will be notified by the local ER when the patient has been accepted and needs to be transported to a mental health facility.”
“The sheriff’s office is mandated by the state to transport these mental health patients to the mental health facilities,” Nichols added.
He said records show that in 2020 the sheriff’s office made 13 of these types of transports, and that increased to 38 in 2021.
“Whatever the future looks like when this hotline goes live, we will deal with it and find a way to get the job done. We see mental illness every day, either on the street or in the jail, and we have tried a few things to help, but it is going to take us as a community to work as an entire wheel and not just a spoke or two of the wheel,” Nichols said.
He said he hopes state and federal government leaders take action to provide adequate funding for services needed.
The Georgia Crisis and Access Line (GCAL) 1-800-715-4225 number will still be in effect for a period of time during the transition. This statewide, toll-free call center is available for consumers to access services. The call center operates 24/7 and has the capacity to screen and assess callers for intensity of service response, according to the Georgia Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities (DBHDD).