The Wall of Hope mural in downtown Franklin, painted by artist Patrick Tisdale, prominently features the 988 crisis and suicide lifeline in it. The crisis line is a key part of Indiana’s crisis response system, which has helped improve access to care for mental health issues in the state. Daily Journal file photo
At the most difficult moments, a place to get help is available.
That’s been the message Indiana officials have emphasized for the past two years since launching its crisis response system two years. Taking advantage of the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline, together with crisis response centers and local officials, more people in the throes of behavioral or mental health upheaval have been able to get the help they need.
But much work remains, state health officials say.
“We have made incredible strides to make sure we have folks there to respond when we have folks in crisis, but we know there are individuals in need who are not reaching out. That’s why we’re calling on all communities across Indiana to spread awareness about 988, and make sure all Hoosiers know that help is just a call, text or chat away,” said Dr. Dan Rusyniak, secretary of Family and Social Services Administration.
With September being National Suicide Prevention and National Recovery Month, and with the nation recognizing the first 988 Day on Sept. 8, state leaders have examined the impact the crisis response system has had. Indiana’s five 988 response centers’ in-state answer rate of 92% puts the state in the top 10 of the nation.
The call centers received more than 7,700 calls in July of this year, compared to 3,700 in July 2022, when the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline launched in Indiana.
“This means more people in our state are aware of 988 and are using it as a resource, and that we’re able to get individuals in crisis the care that they need by someone who understands the climate of where they are,” said Kara Biro, state director of behavioral health crisis care.
In Mental Health America’s annual rankings of states’ prevalence of mental illness and access to care, Indiana jumped from 43rd in 2022 to 24 in 2023.
During a press conference on Sept. 5, officials highlighted these successes and where improvements will hopefully be made.
“This is about where we’ve been and how far we’ve come, but we’re probably more excited about where we’re going,” said Jay Chaudhary, director of the Indiana Division of Mental Health and Addiction
Indiana’s crisis response system launched in 2022, centered on the 988 Lifeline. The 988 line was created by Congress by the National Suicide Hotline Designation Act of 2020, which required the Federal Communications Commission to designate 988 as the universal number for a national suicide prevention and mental health crisis hotline.
“It really allowed us to transition the purpose of the line from suicidality to individuals experiencing any sort of behavioral health or substance use, or emotional distress crisis,” Biro said.
In Indiana, the legislature and Gov. Eric Holcomb worked together with a behavioral health commission to create a crisis response system built around the lifeline. The system has three main components: giving people in crisis someone to contact, having someone to respond to them and providing a safe place for help.
People who call 988 are given direct access to trained crisis counselors who can help those experiencing mental health-related distress. That includes any type of emotional distress, such as thoughts of suicide, or mental health or substance use crisis.
When people call 988, they hear a greeting message while their call is routed to the local Lifeline network crisis center — based on the caller’s area code. A trained crisis counselor answers the phone, listens to the caller, understands how their problem is affecting them, provides support, and shares resources if needed.
“The goal is to help an individual stabilize and to give them the support they need, including creating a safety plan and identifying what the next steps will be,” Biro said.
The 988 crisis response system has rapidly grown, and now has the ability to dispatch mobile crisis teams in more than two-thirds of the state’s 92 counties. The initiative has funded 19 crisis receiving and stabilization service providers, of which 17 are currently operating and open to the public. Centerstone of Indiana is the provider covering Johnson County.
The final two locations are preparing to open in the coming months, providing a place where Hoosiers can receive services if their crisis cannot be resolved by a call center or mobile crisis team.
In June 2024, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services named Indiana as one of 10 states selected to participate in the Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinic Medicaid Demonstration Program. A Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinic is a specially designated clinic that provides a comprehensive range of mental health and addiction services and be in compliance with the state’s criteria.
Eight CCBHC demonstration pilot sites have been chosen in the state, with services beginning in early 2025. Adult and Child Mental Health Center on the southside of Indianapolis, just across the Johnson County line, is one of the sites.
“CCBHCs provide 24/7 crisis care through mobile crisis teams and crisis receiving stabilization services through 988,” said Lindsay Potts, Family and Social Services Administration director of system transformation. “CCBHCs and crisis response services bring hope and a safe, compassionate response to individuals, youth and families in a mental health crisis and those in need of mental health care.”
Get Help
If you or someone you know is currently experiencing thoughts of suicide, or a mental health or substance use crisis, please call 988 to reach Suicide & Crisis Lifeline and speak with a trained crisis specialist 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
