988 Hotline: After the Call
This summer, the Department of Health and Human Services launched a new hotline for suicide prevention and acute mental health needs: 988. During its first week, the hotline fielded more than 96,000 calls, texts, and chats, according to data from HHS, but the launch was still met with some initial skepticism about how much good the hotline can really do, particularly with the limited funding and reach it had at launch. However, seeing 988 as a standalone bulwark of mental health misses the point. It’s important to put the hotline in its proper context, among the many behavioral health tools available through employee benefits.
Imagine you’re having chest pains, shortness of breath, tingling in your left arm, and tunnel vision. It’s a heart attack, and you need immediate help. You dial 911. An ambulance picks you up, rushes you to the hospital, and a team of doctors save your life. Is that the end of the story, or the beginning? Do you simply go back home and wait for the next attack, or do your doctors help you find a treatment plan to improve your heart health and put you on a path to a better, healthier life? If your doctors are any good at all, you will find yourself quickly matched with a cardiologist for a follow-up appointment, perhaps a dietician to help identify heart-friendly foods, and a support group for questions about how to move forward.
That’s exactly how we should be looking at 988. It’s emergency care, meant to handle dangerous, acute situations. To manage the chronic, underlying behavioral health issues that led to that moment, members need to lean on existing resources like face-to-face counseling, Employee Assistance Program (EAP), telemedicine, text-based counseling, and other ways for connecting with behavioral healthcare providers. To help improve utilization of these benefits, we also have a portfolio of educational materials to empower members with important information for accessing resources.
A recent survey by Ipsos found that mental health is now the biggest health concern for American adults. According to the data, 51% of Americans listed mental health as one of their top health concerns (up from 35% in 2021). For comparison, COVID was a top concern for 68% of adults in 2021 but dropped to 43% in 2022. Addressing the mental health needs of members needs to be a top concern for employers, and we have the tools to help. Connect with us and let’s talk about how we can help your clients.