Mental-health advocates say the new 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline could save the lives of many Arizonans and others facing a crisis.

The new three-digit number is a "shorthand" version of the previous 10-digit National Suicide Prevention Lifeline in use since 2005. The new number uses a caller's area code to link them to local, confidential mental-health services regardless of their ability to pay.

Beth Brady, senior director of brand development for the crisis service Solari, which along with La Frontera manages the system in Arizona, said while three-digit access is a new wrinkle, the state has a history of providing crisis services.

"In Arizona, we have been answering the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline calls for almost a decade," Brady pointed out. "I think one of the things that's important to note is that 988 is being unveiled as this new thing, but actually it's an evolution of the 10-digit national suicide prevention number."

Congress approved the 988 system in 2020, and it became operational earlier this month. Brady noted it provides 24/7 access to more than a dozen Arizona assistance programs for individuals experiencing thoughts of suicide, a mental-health or substance-use crisis, or any other type of emotional distress.

The need for crisis services is growing. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported in 2020, Arizona's suicide rate was 17.6 per 100,000 people, with almost 1,400 deaths, well above the national rate of 13.5 with 46,000 deaths.

Brady believes many of those lives can be saved if it is easier to find help.

"You would never think twice if you are having a heart attack to contact 911," Brady emphasized. "I think that one of the really exciting things that we aren't talking about as much yet is how 988 is going to change the conversation."

Brady added distressed individuals often suffer in silence, but if people see someone who appears to be in crisis, they should reach out to 988.

"The person needs to be willing to get help and treatment," Brady acknowledged. "But as a friend or family member, you can absolutely call, get resources, maybe get some suggestions for how to best approach the person that you're worried about."

A report has found Connecticut could do more to strengthen its youth behavioral health system.

Connecticut and the U.S. are facing an increasing child mental health crisis, which was brewing long before the pandemic made it worse. A 2022 report showed suicide was the leading cause of death for Connecticut teens age 15 to 19, but Connecticut is making strides to provide an adept youth behavioral health system.

Jason Lang, chief program officer for the Child Health and Development Institute, described one of the report's recommendations.

"The current reimbursement rates for many behavioral health services have not kept up with inflation over the last decade," Lang pointed out. "There's a large gap in terms of funding that's available to the providers, that in turn is limiting their ability to attract behavioral health clinicians and staff."

Almost half the population in the U.S. lives in a mental health workforce shortage area. KFF data showed Connecticut has 47 health care professional shortage areas, leaving more than 1.6 million people without access to coverage.

Other report recommendations included creating a central support to provide training for workers and keep up on employment trends.

In addition to the behavioral health industry taking action, Lang noted the General Assembly could take its own actions, too. Some of these include Senate Bill 2, which was passed this year. The bill created the Office of the Behavioral Health Advocate to help people in the state get mental health care.

"Some of the other things the Legislature could do are make an immediate investment in recruiting and particularly retaining the clinicians that are working in community mental health right now," Lang suggested. "Because I think if we don't do anything to support and retain them, we're going to continue to lose them to those other jobs."

Getting people to enter back into this workforce could be a problem. A report found 56% of public health workers are experiencing symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder, brought on by the mental health crisis growing during the pandemic and in the years since.

No Indiana county has enough mental-health professionals to meet the local needs according to the Rural Health Information Hub. Add to that an overall mistrust of the healthcare system by many people of color, and there's an unmet need that one Indianapolis nonprofit hopes to help fill.

Nonprofit community center Flanner House has opened a facility geared for the mental-health needs of Black Hoosiers.

Morningstar Afrocentric Wellness Center Director Bwana Clements said he and Flanner House Executive Director Brandon Cosby envisioned opening the center after seeing that young Black men seemed unresponsive to traditional therapeutic models.

"Wouldn't it be nice if we had an agency to prevent the challenges and difficulties of having to retell your story, over and over, to people who may or may not understand it?" Clements asked.

He said the center offers individual, couples and family counseling, as well as bereavement therapy for young people who have suffered a loss due to violence or trauma.

The American Psychiatric Association has found that, with Black patients, physicians are 23% more verbally dominant and engaged in 33% less patient-centered communication than with white patients.

The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration points to reasons why Black Americans and other minority groups don't always seek help for mental health. There's still a stigma around getting this type of care, but lack of access and insurance costs also are factors.

Clements said the center was intentionally designed for people to feel at home.

"There's something about being able to walk into a space, seeing people that look like yourself, and knowing that they understand without you having to explain," he added.

Clements said anyone is welcome at the Wellness Center, no matter their race or sexual orientation. The American Psychiatric Association says other common barriers to seeking help include concerns about privacy, lack of knowledge about available treatments, and denial of mental-health problems.


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More than 1 million Latinos call Georgia home but the growing community faces an alarming gap in finding and using mental health services.

The National Alliance on Mental Illness reported fewer Hispanic and Latino individuals seek help. It may be because of language barriers, poverty or just not feeling comfortable with cultural differences.

Belisa Urbina, executive director of the nonprofit Ser Familia, which offers social services to Spanish-speakers in the Metro Atlanta area, said fewer than 100 licensed mental health professionals in Georgia speak Spanish, which affects the quality of care even when interpreters are available.

"Most times, this interpreter changes from one appointment to the other," Urbina explained. "And also, if you're using an interpreter, then you're not providing an hour of counseling. You're providing maybe 30 minutes, at best."

Urbina emphasized although some Latinos prefer English for daily communication, they may struggle to discuss specific incidents or emotions. She noted the pandemic only heightened the need for mental health support, with suicidal thoughts tripling among Latino children as young as eight.

Urbina pointed out one challenge is the cost of professional certification for mental health providers. She observed many people who receive the necessary education cannot get the credentials to practice due to a lengthy and expensive process. Ser Familia hopes to help make access easier by increasing the number of practitioners through other measures.

"We are establishing a project in which we hopefully are going to bring to Georgia students from universities in Puerto Rico that are ready to do hours," Urbina outlined. "They can do their practicum here, and the hours are going to be counted in Puerto Rico."

Urbina hopes in the future, it will be easier for people to get the credentials they need in the mental health field. But she added there is a lot of work to be done to improve health equity for minority populations, especially if they don't speak English as their first language.