988, the national suicide prevention hotline, came online two months ago. In the first weeks, Missouri lifeline centers reported a significant increase in the number of calls from people seeking help with mental illness, substance use and suicide crises.
KMOX checked back in with Shelby Zurick Beasley, the manager of the 988 crisis line, to get an update on how things have been going since the line's rollout.
"Across Missouri, we are still seeing increases in calls to 988 lifeline, which is wonderful," Zurick Beasley said. "That means people are learning about the resource and I think it says something that people are willing to reach out and reduce some of that stigma about asking for help."
Since the crisis line first started taking calls, they've made improvements, like reducing wait times for callers.
"This time last year, it was taking about over a minute for a caller to be connected with someone," Zurick Beasley said. "And jsut last month, it took only 11 seconds on average for someone to be connected to a counselor. So that's a huge improvement."
She said a lot of the calls the line gets are from people who aren't immediately in crisis, but are preparing for the future, and looking to learn about what kind of support the 988 line provides.
Hear more from Shelby Zurick Beasley on the rollout of the 988 crisis line:
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