>> ON AVERAGE THERE ARE 129
SUICIDES A DAY IN THE UNITED
STATES.
THAT IS ACCORDING TO THE CENTERS
FOR DISEASE CONTROL AND
PREVENTION.
IN 2017 THE MOST RECENT YEAR FOR
WHICH STATISTICS ARE AVAILABLE
MORE THAN 47,000 AMERICANS DIED
BY SUICIDE AND 1.4 MILLION ARE
BELIEVED TO HAVE ATTEMPTED
SUICIDE AND THAT RATE IS ON THE
RISE.
ONE TOOL IN THE BATTLE AGAINST
THE EPIDEMIC IS THE NATIONAL
SUICIDE PREVENTION LIFELINE AND
THE NUMBER IS 1-800-273-TALK.
>> BUT THE FCC IS PROPOSING TO
MAKE THAT NUMBER EASIER TO
REMEMBER BY CREATING A A
HOTLINE, 988.
>> JOINING US IS CARA LEVINSON
AN ATTORNEY WHOSE DAUGHTER DIED
BY SUICIDE AT THE AGE OF 18 WITH
THE ILLINOIS CHAPTER OF THE
AMERICAN FOUNDATION FOR SUICIDE
PREVENTION.
THANK YOU FOR JOINING US.
>> THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR HAVING
ME.
>> WHAT ARE YOUR THOUGHTS ON THE
FCC'S PLAN TO TURN THE HOTLINE
INTO THE 988 NUMBER?
>> IT'S A FANTASTIC STEP FORWARD
TO HAVE A THREE-DIGIT NUMBER OF
THOSE OF US INTERESTED IN
PURSUING SUICIDE PREVENTION HAVE
LOOKED TO HAVE THAT THREE DIGIT
NUMBER FOR A LONGTIME.
IT'S WONDERFUL THAT THEY ARE
FINALLY ACKNOWLEDGING THAT THAT
SHOULD HAPPEN.
THAT PARTICULAR NUMBER, THOUGH,
MAY BE PROBLEMATIC BECAUSE IT'S
NOT A 11 NUMBER.
IN OTHER WORDS IT DOESN'T END
WITH A 11 LIKE 9-1-1 OR 311.
AND THE INFRASTRUCTURE FOR A
988 NUMBER IS TECHNICALLY MORE
DIFFICULT.
THERE ARE A NUMBER OF AREAS IN
THE COUNTRY WHERE THERE WOULD
HAVE TO BE LEGACY NETWORKS
CHANGED OUT AND THAT WOULD TAKE
A LOT OF TIME.
SO WHAT WE WANT TO MAKE SURE IS
THAT WHATEVER HAPPENS THAT
HOTLINE IS AVAILABLE TO EVERYONE
AT THE SAME TIME.
>> WHAT IS THE INFRASTRUCTURE
BEHIND THE HOTLINE NUMBER?
ARE THERE ENOUGH RESOURCES TO
ANSWER THE CALLS IF THEY SHOULD
COME IN?
>> WELL IN A WORD, NO.
GETTING BETTER.
PEOPLE SEEM TO THINK THERE IS
SOME SORT OF A ONE LARGE FEDERAL
CENTER FOR THIS FEDERAL HOTLINE.
AND WHILE IT IS SPONSORED BY THE
FEDERAL GOVERNMENT EVERYTHING IS
DONE AT THE LOCAL LEVEL.
AT THIS POINT AS OF SEPTEMBER OF
THIS YEAR, WE HAVE 172 CRISIS
CENTERS ACROSS THE COUNTRY THAT
ARE AFFILIATED WITH THE
LIFELINE.
WHAT HAPPENS IS PEOPLE CALL THAT
LIFELINE.
THOSE WHO ARE AFFILIATED WITH
THE MILITARY PRESS A NUMBER AND
THEY ARE SHUNTED OFF TO THE V.A.
THEN THERE IS ANOTHER SHUNT TO
PEOPLE WHO ARE SPANISH SPEAKING.
AND THE REMAINDER OF THE CALLS
GO OUT TO HOPEFULLY THE LOCAL
CRISIS CENTERS.
IN ILLINOIS WE HAVE EIGHT THAT
TAKE CARE OF THEM.
BUT THERE ARE PLACES SUCH AS
ALASKA WHICH IS AN ENORMOUS
STATE THAT HAS ONE.
AND THERE ARE SOME STATES THAT
DO NOT HAVE A CRISIS CENTER
AFFILIATED WITH THE LIFELINE AT
ALL.
WHAT HAPPENS IS THAT GIVE YOU AN
EXAMPLE FOR ILLINOIS.
FOR THE FIRST SIX MONTHS OF THIS
YEAR, JANUARY-JUNE, THERE WERE
MORE THAN 33,000 CALLS FROM
ILLINOIS TO THE LIFELINE THE
FEDERAL LIFELINE.
OF THOSE, ONLY 31% ACTUALLY MADE
IT TO A COUNTY, STATE OR LOCAL
LINE.
THE REST OF THOSE GOT KICKED
OVER TO REGIONAL CENTERS THAT
ARE RUN BY THE LIFELINE BUT THEY
ARE NOT --
THEY ARE NOT RESOURCED IN
ILLINOIS.
SO WHILE THEIR OPERATORS DO THE
BEST JOB THEY CAN TO DEAL WITH
THOSE CALLS THAT THEY GET, THEY
ARE NOT FAMILIAR WITH THE
RESOURCES IN ILLINOIS.
SO THAT SAY PROBLEM.
>> A THREE DIGIT NUMBER MAKES
SENSE.
WHAT ELSE NEEDS TO BE DONE?
>> THREE DIGIT NUMBER IS GREAT
AND THERE NEEDS TO BE WHATEVER
NUMBER IT IS THERE NEEDS TO BE A
CAMPAIGN OUT THERE SO THE PEOPLE
UNDERSTAND THAT THIS IS THE
DEDICATED LINE FOR SUICIDE
PREVENTION AND MENTAL HEALTH
ISSUES.
THERE NEEDS TO BE ADDRESSING OF
GEOLOCATING.
AT THE PRESENT TIME IF SOMEBODY
HAS FOR EXAMPLE AN AREA CODE IN
ILLINOIS BUT THEY HAPPEN TO BE
LIVING IN TEXAS, WHEN THE
LIFELINE GETS THAT CALL THEY
WILL REFER IT TO AN ILLINOIS
CRISIS CENTER EVEN TOW THE
PERSON IS IN TEXAS.
SO WHAT WE WANT TO DO IS CHANGE
IT SO THAT INSTEAD OF GOING OFF
THE AREA CODE THEY WILL GO OFF
THE TOWERS THE CELL TOWERS THAT
ARE CLOSEST TO WHERE THE CALL IS
MADE.
AND ANOTHER THING WE NEED TO DO
IS VASTLY INCREASE FUNDING.
AND THAT'S TRUE WITH ALL THINGS
HAVING TO DO WITH MENTAL HEALTH.
RIGHT NOW, WE'VE HAD A BIG JUMP
IN THE AMOUNT OF MONEY GIVEN FOR
THE HOTLINE FROM 2018 TO THE
2019 BUDGET T WENT FROM $7.2
MILLION TO $12 MILLION WHICH IS
VERY NICE.
BUT IT IS NOT ANYWHERE NEAR THE
AMOUNT OF MONEY THAT WILL BE
NEEDED TO MAKE THIS A ROBUST
NETWORK.
>> BEFORE I LET YOU GO, FOR
ANYONE WHO IS CONTEMPLATING
SUICIDE OR KNOWS SOMEONE, WHAT
SHOULD THEY DO?
>> WELL, EVERYBODY CAN PLAY A
ROLE IN HELPING TO PREVENT
SUICIDE.
SUICIDE IS PREVENTIBLE IF YOU
PUT ENOUGH TIME AND SPACE
BETWEEN THE PERSON AND THEIR
SUICIDAL THOUGHTS AND THE MEANS
THAT THEY WANT TO USE TO DIE BY
SUICIDE.
SO TAKE THAT PERSON ASIDE
PRIVATELY.
TALK TO THEM.
EXPRESS WHAT YOU'VE NOTICED
CHANGES IN THEIR BEHAVIOR AND
THAT YOU ARE CONCERNED.
AND ASK DIRECTLY: ARE YOU
THINKING OF SUICIDE?
STUDIES SHOW THAT YOU DO NOT PUT
THE THOUGHT OF SUICIDE INTO
SOMEONE'S MIND IF YOU ASK THAT
QUESTION DIRECTLY.
ASK IT DIRECTLY WITHOUT JUDGMENT
NOT YOU'RE NOT THINKING OF
SUICIDE ARE YOU?
AND THEN WHATEVER ANSWER THEY
GIVE YOU, LISTEN.
LISTEN CALMLY WITHOUT JUDGMENT,
WITHOUT SAYING ANYTHING JUST
REFLECT BACK TO THEM WHAT YOU
ARE HEARING.
AND THEN IF YOU ARE VERY
CONCERNED THAT IT IS I AMNENT
YOU SHOULD OWE IMMINENT, YOU
CALL FOR HELP.
>> THANK YOU FOR JOINING US.
AND IF YOU KNOW OR IF SOMEONE
YOU KNOW MAY BE HAVING SUICIDAL
THOUGHTS HELP IS AVAILABLE
THROUGH THE LIFELINE.