HOW TO ATTEND YOUR LOCAL STOP ON NAMI MINNESOTA’S LISTENING TOUR!, A DEEPER LOOK INTO #988 CRISIS LINE (625 hits)
For Immediate Release From NAMI-Minnesota!
In the summer and fall, NAMI Minnesota is hitting the road to hear from people like you! We’ll also provide a presentation on what happened during this year’s legislative session.
Come to the listening session closest to you to tell the Policy Team about your experiences with mental illnesses and mental healthcare and help shape our policy goals:
Duluth: Wednesday, September 18th, 5:00-7:00 at Residential Services Inc. (2900 Piedmont Ave)
Grand Rapids: Tuesday, September 17th, 6:30–8:30 pm at Kiesler Wellness Center (3130 SE 2nd Ave)
Mankato: Tuesday, July 30th, 6:00–7:30 pm at Grace Lutheran Church (110 N 4th St) Northfield: Wednesday, July 31st, 6:00–8:00 pm at Northfield Public Library (210 Washington St)
Saint Cloud: Saturday, September 7th, 1:00-3:00, Great River Regional Library (1300 W. St. Germain St)
Twin Cities: Saturday, July 13th, 1:00-3:00 at the NAMI Minnesota office (1919 University Ave West, Suite 400, Saint Paul)
Winona: Wednesday, July 17th, 2:00-4:00 at Hiawatha Valley Mental Health Center (420 E Sarnia St)
We will also be scheduling a stop in Alexandria! Look for details on NAMI Minnesota’s website, social media, and email blasts.
Please contact with any questions: policycoordinator@namimn.org
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Minnesota Part Of Deeper Look Into ‘988’ Crisis Line Effectiveness
A new report examined the rollout of the 988 mental health crisis line in each state, including Minnesota.
The revamped National Suicide and Crisis Lifeline is nearing its second anniversary. While the report from the mental health advocacy organization Inseparable said progress is needed, it noted the change was a critical step toward providing better care. Minnesota is among the states praised for adopting a telecom fee to ensure stable financing of call center operations.
Sue Abderholden, executive director of the National Alliance on Mental Illness-Minnesota, said another positive is the near 90% answer rate for calls here. She suggested more people need to know about the service to call in.
“It’s still a small percentage of people that know about 988,” Abderholden acknowledged. “We need to continue to publicize that.”
Abderholden pointed out not included in the report is the fact all Minnesota counties have a mobile response team for stabilizing crisis situations. She does worry some law enforcement agencies have taken steps to develop their own in-house teams, potentially creating confusion and privacy concerns.
The report’s authors said the overall goal is to reduce the effects of “deficient” crisis response. Since 2015, almost one in five fatal police shootings involved a person experiencing a mental health emergency.
Angela Kimball, chief advocacy officer for Inseparable, said too often, there is a tragic outcome when people cannot get the necessary help.
“At a less severe level, we see a lot of people who end up in crowded emergency departments,” Kimball observed. “Frankly, emergency departments are getting so filled up with people with severe mental health challenges that they’re experiencing something called ‘ED boarding.'”
ED boarding refers to holding people in the emergency room as they await services. Meanwhile, the report found more than 80% of calls to 988 are resolved over the phone and for those who required mobile response teams, 70% are resolved in the field.
Mike Moen writes for the Minnesota News Connection.
This is a free, peer-led support group for adults (18+) in both the BIPOC and the LGBTQ+ community living with a mental illness. Gain insight from the challenges and successes of others facing similar experiences. The group is led by trained leaders with lived experience. Meetings are 90 minutes long. This group meets weekly.
