Theodore Decker: Saving a life might be a matter of dialing 9-8-8

This column contains a discussion of suicide. If you or someone you know is experiencing a behavioral health crisis, you can call the national Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 988 or 1-800-273-8255/TALK (1-888-628-9454 for Spanish speakers).

I once called a suicide hotline on a friend's behalf. We'd been talking about some of our lives' heavier moments, and I grew increasingly worried by some of the thoughts she was expressing.

There was a time that I might have brushed off my concerns. But by this point in my life, I'd already lost a good friend to suicide, something I've written about before.

I no longer take those chances. I asked her point-blank if she was thinking about it, and when she didn't immediately respond, I called the hotline.

They were fantastic. They advised a course forward that made sense. As I followed their advice, my friend resurfaced. We talked about it, and she thanked me for calling for her.

Was all resolved in a neat and forever-happy package? Life doesn't work that way. But we made it through that moment to the next. That's more than something. That's huge.

The hotline number back then was a long and not-easily-remembered one, but what a great resource to have at your fingertips, I thought.

Now, we need press only three digits to reach someone to talk to: 988.

Yesterday marked the last day of National Suicide Prevention Week.

Earlier this year, the U.S. took a big step in suicide prevention with the national rollout of the 988 suicide hotline.

Advocates say the new number is as easy to remember as 911 and will benefit that emergency system by rerouting many of the crisis calls that now come in to 911 but would be better handled by mental health professionals than law enforcement.

"In a suicide or mental health crisis, seconds count," said Jennifer Snow, national director of government affairs, policy and advocacy for the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI), after the rollout.

At the time, the alliance released a poll that found 77% of American adults had never heard of the 988 service, which was previously a 10-digit number (800-273-8255) that remains active.

That percentage has probably improved some since then, but all of us can raise awareness of the new number with little effort. These don't have to be heavy conversations. "Hey, did you see they started a 988 suicide hotline number? It works like 911, and they hook you up with emergency mental health services and support."

Chat about it with a neighbor. Post it on your social media. Tell your kids.

That's all it takes to get the number further into circulation and into our collective consciousness, in the same space that 911 so effectively resides.

More:Worthington's Andrea Nadolny raises awareness of suicide after a friend's death

Ohioans also need to watch one more issue regarding the hotline.

Ohio has the money to run the network into next summer, but the initial seed money runs out on June 30, 2023. The legislature must come up with a permanent way to keep it funded and operational past that date.

Many other states are in similar positions, and suicide prevention advocates warn that any interruption in service could have grave consequences.

Ohio's advocates say they are working with legislators to resolve the problem, and we can hope that the process goes smoothly, that suicide prevention doesn't somehow become a political hot potato in the way that so many other issues do.

It is hard to fathom how support for the hotline could become mired in politics, but history shows us that mental health services are often left scrambling for funding and short on staff.

More:Netcare Access to end 24/7 crisis service by late November as staffing issues persist

Bureaucracies also have a way of burying even reasonable legislation in committee. For proof of that, ask any emergency responder to the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks what it was like as Congress allowed the reauthorization of the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund to languish.

This hotline is too valuable to bungle. We can't allow calls for help from our fellow Ohioans to go unanswered.

In additional to the national hotline, anyone experiencing a behavioral health crisis can reach Ohio's 24/7 Crisis Text Line by texting 4HOPE to 741741, or call the Franklin County Suicide Prevention Hotline at 614-221-5445 or the Teen Suicide Prevention Hotline at 614-294-3300.

Theodore Decker is the Dispatch metro columnist.

tdecker@dispatch.com

@Theodore_Decker