HJBR Sep/Oct 2023

HEALTHCARE JOURNAL OF BATON ROUGE I  SEP / OCT 2023 49 follow-up calls, particularly those who are determined to be “high risk” and who agree to receive a follow-up. What are the needs of 988 from the healthcare community? How can we help you, and how can we get more involved? The largest need right now is to simply let folks — your family, friends, and neigh- bors — know that this resource is available to anyone facing emotional stress or crisis, as well as those with substance use needs. Education is critical, and just spreading the word will save lives. Providers should tell their clients about 988 so they are aware of it if they need crisis support and share it as a resource with family and friends. As mentioned previously, we are also looking to increase collaboration with local providers and communities. It’s very im- portant to respond to as many calls in-state as possible in an effort to provide culturally competent assistance to those in our Lou- isiana communities. In September, we are launching a statewide campaign to raise awareness about 988, especially among our most at-risk populations. More information can be found at www.ldh.la.gov/988. n Karen Stubbs is the assistant secretary for LDH’s Of- fice of Behavioral Health. She joined the department in 2013.As head of OBH,Karen leads policy decisions addressing prevention and treatment of mental ill- ness, substance use disorders, and addictive disor- ders. Karen’s career spans leadership roles in the Of- fice of Juvenile Justice and Governor Bobby Jindal’s administration as well as working in the state court system.Karen is an attorney who graduated from the LSU Law School. Robyn Thomas is the project lead for the OBH 988 team.She is a licensed professional counselor (LPC), licensed marriage and family therapist (LMFT), and nationally certified counselor (NCC). She is also a mental health first aid instructor. She has provided crisis intervention to various ages such as children, adolescents, adults, geriatric patients, and their fam- ilies in a hospital setting. • Remain on the line to be connected to a local crisis center. If your local cri- sis center is unable to answer, the call will be routed to the backup center in Louisiana, or the caller is automatically routed to a national backup center. The Lifeline provides live crisis center phone services in English and Spanish and uses LanguageLine Solutions to provide translation services in over 250 additional languages for people who call 988. For deaf individuals, the Lifeline current- ly serves TTY users either through their preferred relay service or by dialing 711 then 1-800-273-8255. Texting is available in both English and Spanish. Chat is available in both English and Spanish through the 988 Lifeline’s web- site at 988lifeline.org/chat. Once you are connected, a crisis coun- selor listens to you, works to understand how your problem is affecting you, provides support, and shares resources that may be helpful. With so much demand for mental health services in Louisiana, how do the 988 call centers staff the calls they receive? Louisiana has two certified Lifeline cen- ters that respond to calls, chats, and texts. Both centers have expanded their capacity since the launch of 988 to ensure residents receive support from a local center. The call centers continue to hire and train crisis cen- ter staff to meet the increase in demand. The intent of 988 is to address the crisis through a phone-based intervention, which is highly successful. However, both centers maintain an extensive database of resourc- es to offer follow-up services and support. The goal is to connect individuals with local resources to meet their behavioral health needs and the need for other communi- ty-based services. The call centers offer Karen Stubbs Assistant Secretary LDH Office of Behavioral Health shares information with 911 that is crucial to saving the caller’s life. Nationally and in Louisiana, we are work- ing toward a long-term vision of strong coordination between the two services so people in crisis get the most appropriate care needed in that moment. The Substance Abuse Mental Health Services Adminis- tration (SAMHSA) is actively working with 911 counterparts at federal, state, and local levels as our country continues to improve the coordinated and appropriate response to mental health and substance use crises. Can a call be made to 988 from someone other than the person experiencing the crisis? Absolutely. People can call, chat, or text 988 if they are worried about a loved-one who may need crisis support. 988 is open to all individuals in the U.S., free of charge. What is the relationship between 988 and LDH? The Louisiana Department of Health’s Office of Behavioral Health (OBH) contracts with the two Louisiana call centers and oversees the implementation of 988. OBH also works to ensure Louisianans are famil- iar with the line, in addition to working with providers and other partners around the state to ensure consistent and quality care. What happens when a Louisianan calls 988? Walk us through the process. People who call the Lifeline are given four options: • Press 1 to connect with the Veterans Crisis Line. • Press 2 to connect with the Spanish subnetwork. • Press 3 to connect with the youth LGBTQ+ under 25 subnetwork.