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Semi-annual Call Volume and Center Status Report The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline and the Virgin Islands (July-December 2019)
Semi-annual Call Volume andCenter Status Report
The National Suicide PreventionLifeline and the Virgin Islands
(July-December 2019)
WHO AREWE?
The Lifeline is the nation'spublic safety net for allAmerican residents inemotional distress orsuicidal crisis.
Healing, hope, and help can happen.1.
We can all take action to prevent suicide.2.
Local crisis centers are critical partners in all community suicide prevention.
3.
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In the Virgin Islands, there are
The Lifeline was established in 2005 bySAMHSA.
WHO AREWE?
WE BELIEVE
Through its toll-free number (800-273-TALK), the Lifeline is a national servicedesigned to seamlessly
This year, the Lifeline’s network of over160 local centers will answer over 2million calls.
MEMBERS OF THE VIRGIN ISLANDS
crisis centers which are members of the Lifeline...
they are able to get the best care,
locallyconnect persons in each state tofinanced and operatedcrisis centers, so
nearest to them.
HIGHLIGHTS FROM THE VIRGIN ISLANDS
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Nu
mb
er o
f Cal
ls
in-state out-of-state
Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec0
50
100
150
Where are the callers from the Virgin Islands being answered?Callers from the Virgin Islands are better served by their local crisis centers. However, if the nearestcenter to the caller is busy, Lifeline network backup centers in other regions across the United States maketheir best efforts to answer these calls.
The Lifeline is a local and national safetynet for people in crisis, with one easilyrecognizable national toll free hotline.
In the last six months of 2019,there were 313 callers from theVirgin Islands to the Lifeline.
Of those 313 callers,0% were able to receive help inthe Virgin Islands.
Which means that 313 callers from the Virgin Islands,were unable to be answered by alocal center in the Virgin Islands.
Years
Nu
mb
er o
f Cal
ls
2015 2016 2017 2018 20190
100
200
300
400
500
This chart shows total annual call volumefrom the Virgin Islands for the last five years.
This chart shows where the callers from the Virgin Islandswere answered between July and December of 2019.
OUR GOALS
Why is it important that your territory support local Lifeline crisiscenters?
QUESTIONS?
Best Practices in Crisis Care
The clinical care task force for theNational Action Alliance finds thatbest practices in suicide care havenot been implemented in all crisissettings*. Being a member of the Lifelineensures that your state is meetingstandards established by SAMHSAfunded evaluation of crisis centers*.These evaluations show Lifelinecenters significantly reduceemotional distress and suicidalityin callers. All Lifeline centers are required tobe accredited and adopt industrystandard practices based onresearch and national expertconsensus. Recent research byRand* shows that Lifeline centersdo a better job of assessing risk andreducing distress in callers thannon-Lifeline crisis centers.
Cost Effective Means to Fill in Gaps of Care
Aside from research showing thatLifeline centers reduce suicidal andemotional distress in callers,Lifeline centers in your territorycan better ensure that callers fromthe Virgin Islands “go through theright door” for local care. Local Lifeline crisis centers reducethe burden on your emergencyrooms, police, and emergencyresponders, as well as yourbehavioral healthcare providers,who often must step in whenemotional crises escalate. Thecenters also provide a safety net inthe absence of other affordablecommunity resources. People in crisis can easily usehotlines to access help when othermental health, substance abuse,and social services have eligibilityrestrictions, are unavailable in ruralareas, are inaccessible during late-night hours, or no longer operatebecause of budget cuts.
212-614-6379 [email protected] Taylor, Director
of NetworkDevelopment
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Your callers in crisis deserve the best helpthey can receive – and they deserve toreceive it in their own territory, fromproviders who know where the best care isto support their local needs. Support your local crisis centers .
"Studies indicate that crisis hotlines play a critical role in ... the mental healthsystem. Crisis hotlines could also be utilized to provide monitoring or tracking of
patients after hospital treatment for a suicide attempt. Crisis hotlines deserve theactive support of the SMHA to ensure high quality, cost-effective services are
consistently available to all residents of the state.”
- NASMHPD 2007 Suicide Prevention Efforts for Individuals with SeriousMental Illness: Roles for the State Mental Health Authority (SMHA)
To efficiently connect callers with your local crisis and behavioral healthservices, the crisis centers in the Virgin Islands need to be part of theLifeline.
PUBLIC RECOGNITION
reach up to 7 million peopleannually.
all accredited facilities togive the Lifeline number toall suicidal persons they areserving.
results in a prominentlydisplayed "one box" throughour partnership withGoogle.
Any search that is suicide related...
The Joint Commission now requires...
Our partnerships with social mediacompanies...
with many state and national public health efforts to prevent suicide. Millions of suicide preventionstakeholders across this country are promoting the Lifeline offline and online, but 75% of Lifeline callersfirst learn of the service from online resources.
When people in the U.S. mention suicideto Apple iPhone's Siri...she refers them to the Lifeline.
The phone number and brand of the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline can be associated
Source: goo.gl/yCSuGz
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