Semi-annual Call Volume andCenter Status Report

The National Suicide PreventionLifeline and Pennsylvania

(January-June 2020)

WHO AREWE?

The Lifeline is the nation'spublic safety net for allAmerican residents inemotional distress orsuicidal crisis.

Healing, hope, and help can happen.1.

We can all take action to prevent suicide.2.

Local crisis centers are critical partners in all community suicide prevention.

3.

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In Pennsylvania, there are

Safe Harbor Behavioral Health CrisisServices (Erie)

The Lifeline was established in 2005 bySAMHSA.  

re:solve Crisis Network (Pittsburgh)

TrueNorth Wellness Services (Hanover)

Center for Community Resource (Butler)

Montgomery County Emergency Service(Norristown)

WHO AREWE?

WE BELIEVE

Through its toll-free number (800-273-TALK), the Lifeline is a national servicedesigned to seamlessly

This year, the Lifeline’s network of over160 local centers will answer over 2million calls.

PENNSYLVANIA MEMBERS

crisis centers which are members of the Lifeline...

they are able to get the best care,

locallyconnect persons in each state tofinanced and operatedcrisis centers, so

nearest to them.

Family Service Association of Bucks County(Langhorne)

The City of Philadelphia through theDepartment of Behavioral Health (Philadelphia)

Centre Helps (State College)

Resources for Human Development/New PerspectivesCrisis Services (Stroudsburg)

Valley Creek Crisis Center (Exton)

Chestnut Ridge Counseling Center Inc. (Uniontown)**Joined the Lifeline network on 9/23/2020

PENNSYLVANIA HIGHLIGHTS

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in-state out-of-state

Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun0

1k

2k

3k

Where are the callers from Pennsylvania being answered?Callers from Pennsylvania are better served by their local crisis centers.  However, if the nearest center tothe caller is busy, Lifeline network backup centers in other regions across the United States make theirbest efforts to answer these calls.

The Lifeline is a local and national safetynet for people in crisis, with one easilyrecognizable national toll free hotline.

In the first six months of 2020,there were 26,682 caller fromPennsylvania to the Lifeline.

Of those 26,682 callers,56% were able to receive helpin Pennsylvania.

Which means that 11,759 callers from Pennsylvania,were unable to be answered by alocal center in Pennsylvania.

Years

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2015 2016 2017 2018 20190

10k

20k

30k

40k

50k

60k

This chart shows total annual call volumefrom Pennsylvania for the last five years.

This chart shows where the callers from Pennsylvaniawere answered between January and June of 2020.

OUR GOALS

Why is it important that your state support local Lifeline crisis centers?

QUESTIONS?

Best Practices in Crisis Care

The clinical care task force for theNational Action Alliance finds thatbest practices in suicide care havenot been implemented in all crisissettings*.   Being a member of the Lifelineensures that your state is meetingstandards established by SAMHSAfunded evaluation of crisis centers*.These evaluations show Lifelinecenters significantly reduceemotional distress and suicidalityin callers. All Lifeline centers are required tobe accredited and adopt industrystandard practices based onresearch and national expertconsensus. Recent research byRand* shows that Lifeline centersdo a better job of assessing risk andreducing distress in callers thannon-Lifeline crisis centers.

Cost Effective Means to Fill in Gaps of Care

Aside from research showing thatLifeline centers reduce suicidal andemotional distress in callers,Lifeline centers in your state canbetter ensure that Pennsylvania callers “go through the right door”for local care. Local Lifeline crisis centers reducethe burden on your emergencyrooms, police, and emergencyresponders, as well as yourbehavioral healthcare providers,who often must step in whenemotional crises escalate. Thecenters also provide a safety net inthe absence of other affordablecommunity resources. People in crisis can easily usehotlines to access help when othermental health, substance abuse,and social services have eligibilityrestrictions, are unavailable in ruralareas, are inaccessible during late-night hours, or no longer operatebecause of budget cuts.

212-614-6379 mtaylor@vibrant.orgMatt Taylor, Director ofNetwork Development

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Your callers in crisis deserve the best helpthey can receive – and they deserve toreceive it in their own state, from providerswho know where the best care is to supporttheir local needs. Support your local crisis centers .

"Studies indicate that crisis hotlines play a critical role in ... the mental healthsystem. Crisis hotlines could also be utilized to provide monitoring or tracking of

patients after hospital treatment for a suicide attempt. Crisis hotlines deserve theactive support of the SMHA to ensure high quality, cost-effective services are

consistently available to all residents of the state.”

- NASMHPD 2007 Suicide Prevention Efforts for Individuals with SeriousMental Illness: Roles for the State Mental Health Authority (SMHA)

To efficiently connect callers with your local crisis and behavioralhealth services, the crisis centers in Pennsylvania need to be part of theLifeline.

PUBLIC RECOGNITION

reach up to 7 million peopleannually.

all accredited facilities togive the Lifeline number toall suicidal persons they areserving.

results in a prominentlydisplayed "one box" throughour partnership withGoogle.

Any search that is suicide related...

The Joint Commission now requires...

Our partnerships with social mediacompanies...

with many state and national public health efforts to prevent suicide.  Millions of suicide preventionstakeholders across this country are promoting the Lifeline  offline and online, but 75% of Lifeline callersfirst learn of the service from online resources.

When people in the U.S. mention suicideto Apple iPhone's Siri...she refers them to the Lifeline.

The phone number and brand of the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline can be associated

Source: goo.gl/yCSuGz

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