Suicide prevention advocates want Ohioans to pay 50-cent monthly fee for 988 hotline
Titus Wu
- Ohio lacks a long-term plan for paying for the suicide prevention crisis line.
- Mental health advocates are calling for a 50-cent monthly fee on cell phone bills.
Four months after the nationwide launch of a new suicide prevention hotline number − 988, Ohio still lacks a long-term plan for paying for the service.
Mental health advocates in Ohio on Tuesday renewed calls for a 50-cent monthly fee on cellphone bills, similar to how 911 is funded, which would generate around $50 million annually for the service.
"This issue is not going away, and the pandemic's impacts have made things even tougher," said Tony Coder, who leads the Ohio Suicide Prevention Foundation. "This will help people who are struggling.... I can't buy a coffee. I can't buy a soda. I can't even buy a pack of gum for 50 cents. But we can support mental health services in the state of Ohio."
News:Here's what to know when the 988 suicide prevention lifeline launches in Ohio
The new 988 number is easier to remember and already getting more use, according to national data. And more calls are being handled in-state, rather than by a national backup system or being abandoned after long wait times.
- In August 2021, 62% of 5,042 calls in Ohio were answered in-state with the rest either rolling to a national backup system or abandoned (628 calls or 12% of total calls).
- In August 2022, a month after 988 launched, 86% of the 7,813 calls in Ohio were answered in-state. The number of abandoned calls held steady at 637 calls or 8% of the total calls.
- The number of text demands increased from 201 to 1,413 and chat requests increased from 765 to 2,302 between the two months, according to the state mental health department.
More background:Ohio prepares to launch '988' suicide prevention lifeline, but funding questions remain
Ohio's 988 system is expected to need $136 million to last until 2027. Right now, Ohio has earmarked $20 million for the launch and first year of operations, mostly from COVID-19 relief money and other federal grants.
The Ohio Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services officials said they will work with lawmakers to find long-term, sustainable funding. Lawmakers and advocates have said long-term funding discussions are still in the early stages, and could be resolved in the next state budget in June 2023.
The Ohio Suicide Prevention Foundation survey of 1,000 Ohioans found that 60% support a 50-cent monthly fee.
Ohio Department of Health data show that 17,802 people died by suicide between 2010 and 2020. Suicide rates climbed over the last decade but dipped in 2020.
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For Columbus resident Sandy Williams, whose father died by suicide in Belmont County, the issue is personal. She believed 988 would have saved him, who had turned to the county sheriff instead at his darkest moment because of the lack of sufficient help.
"I'll pay that 50 cents every freaking day" if that meant saving her father, she said.
Titus Wu is a reporter for the USA TODAY Network Ohio Bureau, which serves the Columbus Dispatch, Cincinnati Enquirer, Akron Beacon Journal and 18 other affiliated news organizations across Ohio.