988: What are the Culturally Responsive Services Needed to Support People Facing Mental Health Emergencies?

When: Thursday, June 23rd, 2022

8:00PM ET/7:00PM CT

6:00PM MT/5:00PM PT

Where:?Twitter?#ElevateTheConvo

What:?1-hour conversation. Just follow the?#ElevateTheConvo?hashtag on Twitter and join in as our panelists -- all experts in crisis services, social justice and culturally responsive mental health supports.

Feel free to join in the conversation. If you are new to participating in a Twitter Chat here is a brief??"how to" article. At the time of the chat just put the hashtag?#ElevateTheConvo?in the Twitter search field, then hit the "latest" tab and you will see the most recent posts. When you refresh the search tab new posts will emerge.

Who: All those interested in learning or sharing about 988 and how our crisis services will best serve our historically marginalized communities.

This summer the US will commence a transformation in crisis services for mental health emergencies, making them more equitable and accessible, when we move to 988. This easy-to-remember three-digit dialing, texting, and chat code gives people who are in crisis life-saving interventions and?resources. When 988 launches, it will be confidential, free, and available 24/7/365, and the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline (1-800-273-TALK) will remain functional. The mission of previous crisis services -- connecting those experiencing a mental health, substance use, or suicidal crisis with trained crisis?counselors -- will stay intact.

But the vision for the transformation is beyond just a change in the number. Those at the center of the conversation hope that many other transformations occur to help serve people better. One of those changes is thinking through what needs to happen to make crisis services more accessible and culturally responsive to many historically marginalized communities -- who often have a traumatic past with so-called mental health emergency reactions.

On this #ElevateTheConvo Twitter chat, we will hear from panelists from across the US who have considered many of the social justice issues related to our nation's crisis services and most have firsthand lived experience.

Questions

1. What is significant about the transformation of our #mentalhealth and #suicideprevention hotline from 1-800-273-TALK to #988? What is symbolic about this? What is the vision on how this shift will better serve people experiencing psychological emergencies?
2. What challenges have #BIPOC, #LGBTQ and other historically marginalized communities faced when interacting with our #mentalhealth and #suicideprevention emergency systems and supports?
3. How are the needs of serving #BIPOC, #LGBTQ and other historically marginalized communities being taken into consideration as a part of the #988 transformation? What changes are improvements? What is going well?
4. What are your hopes for how crisis services for #mentalhealth emergencies will evolve with improved #culturalresponsiveness? Where do we need to do more work to make #988 a trusted support for all who face tough times?