OLYMPIA, Wash. — Washington state is celebrating the one-year anniversary of the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline's activation.
The 988 Lifeline is a nationwide number anyone can call that connects people with a trained counselor for help with mental health or substance abuse crises. In 2021, Washington was the first state to pass legislation to implement the 988 Lifeline.
“A healthy and humane behavioral health system has three main components: someone to talk to, someone to respond, and someplace to go. Washington state has already demonstrated leadership nationally in reforming a broken system,” said Michelle McDaniel, Chief Executive Office at Crisis Connections, one of Washington’s crisis call center locations.
Volunteers of America Western Washington (VOA), Frontier Behavioral Health, and Crisis Connections have answered calls for Washington since the 988 Lifeline became active. According to national data from the centers, they've answered 65,029 calls, 11,808 texts, and 13,064 chats.
Washington passed more legislation in 2023 to expand the capacity for mobile crisis response, create a regional crisis workforce, increase collaboration between 911 and 988, and reach out to more at risk people in the state.
For more information on 988, click here.
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