It's been nearly a year since the U.S. transitioned the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline to 988, making the number easier for people to remember during a time of crisis.
Since then, ABC news reports calls increased significantly, but only 15 states were meeting a 90 percent answer rate.
At the 211 Big Bend call center where those calls are fielded locally, Hotline Program Director Stephen Sardelis says operators are answering 988 suicide prevention lifeline calls at a higher rate than the state average.
"Currently we do answer about 90 percent of our incoming lifeline calls on a monthly basis," Sardelis said. "The state average is about 71 to 73 percent I believe as of the last month's data."
While the state average may be low, the local center handling calls from Leon and seven surrounding counties in the Big Bend, is up to par. Meeting that 90% mark has required them to manage significant increases in call volume. Sardelis says, before the switch to 988, they handled between 200 and 300 lifeline calls in a given month. Now, they're seeing double that.
"So, currently we're starting to push averages of about 500 offered calls in a month," Sardelis said.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, one person died by suicide every 11 minutes in 2021, and it was the second leading cause of death in most youth or young adults. Each call a lifeline operator answers or doesn't could be the difference between life and death.
"Part of the problem that comes with having a higher answer rate than the state," Sardelis explains, is "if there are not enough staff who can take those calls at once, then naturally someone is going to be left on hold." Calls unanswered locally can roll over to national back up centers, but the best solution is increased staffing.
211 Big Bend Volunteer Coordinator Dylan McMahon says, "We're looking to fill about 20 to 30 more spots right now." He points out that each operator completes at least 10 weeks of training and is screened for appropriate soft skills to field 988 calls. To make sure each call is answered with proper urgency, and that each caller receives proper care, he says, "We look for people who are able to stay calm under duress and remember important procedural questions about safety."
If you'd like to volunteer, the next traning session starts in August.
