By CAMERYN CASS
Capital News Service
LANSING — Michigan is fine-tuning behavioral health hotlines to make proper care more readily available statewide by July.
But advocates say in light of the recent shooting deaths of four Oxford High School students, they wish it could be even quicker.
“Boy, it would be nice if we had that right now with what’s happened in Oxford,” said Heather Rae, the chief executive officer of Common Ground, the company hosting hotline pilot programs in Oakland County and the Upper Peninsula.
The pilot programs respond to emergency calls, as part of the Michigan Crisis and Access Line, acting as an extension of the existing national suicide prevention hotline. The programs also answer calls through Peer Warmline, which offers nonemergency help by connecting people to another person going through similar behavioral health struggles, Rae said.
Since its inception in April, these pilot lines have responded to 46,112 calls, she said.
Another line still in the works will offer anonymous support for first responders who have undergone serious trauma, Rae said. It should be up and running statewide next spring.
All three hotlines will have separate phone numbers.
The emergency line will be accessible to all Michigan residents by the easy-to-remember number 9-8-8, as approved by the Federal Communications Commission earlier this year, making this sort of hotline possible nationwide, said Krista Hausermann, a strategic initiative specialist at the state Department of Health and Human Services.
“This would create a system for all Michiganders so when they’re in crisis, the first thing they do would be to seek help and not look for their insurance card,” Hausermann said.
The nonemergency lines will be staffed with peers navigating behavioral health obstacles themselves, Rae said.
The emergency line will have certified behavioral health professionals, unlike the traditional 9-1-1 call-takers who have just a mandatory eight-hour suicide prevention training under their belts.
The 9-1-1 call-takers have done their best while handling behavioral health calls, but welcome the expanded resources that separate mental health hotlines offer, said Michael Armitage, the executive director of the Calhoun County Consolidated Dispatch Authority.
Few 9-1-1 call centers are staffed with properly trained workers to handle behavioral health- related calls, according to a recent survey of 27 states by The Pew Charitable Trusts.
“I see 9-1-1 for immediate threat, not for ‘I’m worried about my loved one’s depression or anxiety,’” said Rep. Mary Whiteford, R-Casco Township, who pushed the Michigan Crisis and Access Line.
Once the behavioral health call centers are staffed and the technology can handle high call volumes, the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services will advertise 988 so people start calling that number instead of 911 for behavioral health related emergencies.
“We’re teed up, we’re ready to go,” Whiteford said. “We’re probably the most prepared state in the nation in this way.”