“Hope has a new number!”

Dear Community of Hope,

“Hope has a new number!” This was Dr. John Draper’s enthusiastic response to last week’s Crisis Jam featured presentation by Dr. Miriam Delphin-Rittmon, Assistant Secretary for Mental Health and Substance Use at DHHS and the leader of SAMHSA. It feels like more has been accomplished in advancing crisis care in the last year than in the past several decades, and Dr. Delphin-Rittmon detailed some of the milestones since January 2021, including a dedicated 988 and crisis office at SAMHSA and an enormous nearly 20x increase in federal funding as well as improved crisis hub capacity, especially for chat and text.

There were a record 425 national and state leaders who joined last week’s Crisis Jam, but if you weren’t one of them, I hope you’ll watch this group of 24 amazing speakers in our quick one hour Zoom on YouTube (see the link below). You’ll hear Dr. Delphin-Rittmon describe a five-year vision of crisis care with readily accessible mobile teams and crisis receiving facilities, stating “We know that 988 is really the entry point for a broader crisis continuum.”

Saturday was a game changer. A person in pain no longer has to wonder where to turn. A family member of an individual experiencing a suicidal emergency of a loved one no longer has to panic alone. A community struggling to deal with the ever-increasing mental health challenges no longer has to rely on law enforcement to fix it. Indeed, it was a game changer but the formal launch of the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline is just the beginning. 988 is an impressive start but the work to provide comprehensive crisis care and truly realize the promise of 988 is just beginning.

David W. Covington, LPC, MBA
CEO & President, RI International

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Crisis Jam (July 13, 2022): 988 Goes Live!

The 988 Crisis Jam Learning Community was pleased to welcome Dr. Miriam Delphin-Rittmon, SAMHSA Assistant Secretary, along with over 20 crisis leaders during the special edition readying for the launch of 988 on July 16. Click Here to View the Episode

The RI Way (Episode 6)

More than half of the RI International team nationwide identify as a person with lived expertise, and peer-powered has transformed our organization. The Peer Leadership Council ensures this vital voice permeates through the DNA of all of our activities, from the board of directors to day to day care and support with all of our guests. Watch the video here.

988 24/7 Crisis & Support

It’s official! 988 has gone live as of July 16, 2022. You can help share the news, educate on what 988 is, and develop a crisis continuum of care. As part of the efforts, SAMHSA has developed the 988 Partner Toolkit with social media shareables, printable materials, Fact Sheets, links to the NASMHPD Implementation Guidance Playbooks and more.

Colorado and Five Lanes Crisis Partners

RI International and Behavioral Health Link first partnered in 2013 to bring innovative and life-saving crisis care to Colorado. The DHS effort led by Chris Habgood was a critical building block in the 988 and broader crisis continuum model of someone to call, someone to come and a safe place to go (SAMHSA National Guidelines). While we didn’t continue in Colorado, this joint venture led to the formation of the Five Lanes Crisis Partners vision and family of companies. Listen to the NPR podcast Why Colorado’s inventive plan to create an emergency MH care system failed. We declined comment, but reporter Ben Markus used court testimony revisiting this 2014 story.

Moving America’s Soul

Ten stories. Marine, public speaker, pastor, psychologist, world renown researcher, executive manager, teenager, software designer, fitness coach and trial attorney. Directed by Justin Shelby and co-produced with Dr. Thomas Joiner, these are our stories. Anyone can be broken, but this is the most important thing, anyone can live. Anyone can find hope. Watch the official trailer here!

988 Tee Alert

We are now offering 988 Crisis Jam t-shirts! Pick your favorite quote for the back, your favorite 988 logo, choose between English and Spanish, and you’re on your way to getting one of your own. Order your 988 Crisis Jam shirt.

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