NEW MENTAL HEALTH HOTLINE LAUNCHES SATURDAY:

NEW MENTAL HEALTH HOTLINE LAUNCHES SATURDAY:

Thanks to funding from the American Rescue Plan, Indiana is now launching a “Indiana 988” hotline for mental health services.

“This is a great consolidation of local, state, and federal resources to improve mental health services right here in our River City,” stated Mayor Jeff Gahan. “It is no secret that some of the homelessness and addiction concerns we face here in New Albany are rooted in mental health issues, and this is a good step in improving services for those who need it. I want to thank the State of Indiana and the American Rescue Plan for helping address the mental health needs of our community.”

On Saturday, 988 will go live in Indiana and around the United States as a new national three-digit dialing code to reach the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline. In Indiana, Hoosiers experiencing mental health-related distress may call 988 to connect to a trained crisis specialist. Soon, that service will be expanded to include a response team and locations where people can go for help.

Indiana has also entered into a partnership to provide mental health services at pediatric primary care offices around the state, removing barriers to access. Through this partnership, mental health services will be embedded within primary pediatric care settings around the state of Indiana, directly addressing the growing child mental health crisis.

“One serious, lingering result of the COVID-19 pandemic that has been widely-recognized by experts all over the country is a worsening of our mental health crisis,” said Dan Rusyniak, M.D., FSSA secretary. “This major infusion of funds, spread throughout Indiana, will provide more access to mental health care, expand the mental health workforce, and invest in our state’s mental health infrastructure.”

More information about Indiana 988 can be found here: https://www.in.gov/fssa/dmha/update-on-988-in-indiana/