>> 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.