Going live nationwide on July 16, the hotline is intended to be like 911 but for psychiatric instead of medical emergencies.
Californians dealing with mental health crises will soon be able to seek help by dialing 988, a new service expected to improve access to psychiatric care as rates of anxiety, depression and other disorders climb.
1 in 20 U.S. adults experience serious mental illness each year. In California, 1,243,000 adults have a serious mental illness.
The easier-to-remember number is expected to lead to an influx of people seeking mental health help. But it has also led to concerns that call centers won’t have the infrastructure or staffing to handle the likely increase in callers, many of whom may be in crisis.
In December, the Biden administration announced a $284 million infusion to upgrade infrastructure and fortify call centers nationwide. In California, officials promised an additional $20 million to the 13 public and private call centers that respond to hotline calls, “so we can meet Californians where they are and expand resources and support during these difficult times,” Gov. Gavin Newsom said in a statement.
The proposed state budget for the upcoming fiscal year, which is expected to be approved by the Legislature this week, includes another $8 million to help call centers with the rollout of 988. But some advocates say the funding remains insufficient.
The federal law that created 988 gave state lawmakers the option of raising money for call centers and other mental health services by levying a monthly fee on phone bills, but only four states have passed such legislation.
In California, A.B. 988 would create a telephone surcharge that would be capped at $0.30 per line per month, said Assemblywoman Rebecca Bauer-Kahan, the bill’s author. The tax would eventually bring in $194 million per year, which would help keep call centers staffed and pay for mobile crisis teams to respond to callers, she said.
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