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By Mark Moran - Producer-Editor, Contact - News
Big Sky Connection - A new report says the new 988 mental-health crisis line is reaching some of its goals in Montana. An advocacy group has released a report showing how the service is doing across the country, and has suggested ways to improve communication, come up with ways to pay for it, and increase the number of emergency crisis response teams. Comments from Angela Kimball, chief advocacy officer, Inseparable.
Click on the image above for the audio. A report by the mental health advocacy organization Inseparable showed one in five police shootings involves someone with a mental illness. (Adobe Stock)
Mark Moran
July 16, 2024 - A national mental health advocacy organization called Inseparable has released a report on the rollout of the 988 crisis line for people going through a mental health emergency.
Montana scored well but the state still needs capable crisis responders. The report called for Montana and other states to expand 988 call-center capacity, increase the number and availability of mobile mental health response units, create more crisis stabilization centers and find ways to pay for it all.
Montana came close to its goal of answering 96% of its calls in a timely manner and is working on creating more than two-dozen mobile response teams.
Angela Kimball, chief advocacy officer for Inseparable, said 988 mental health services need to be available to everyone who needs them, 24/7.
"Regardless of their ability to pay, just like we expect fire trucks to come if there's a fire," Kimball emphasized. "We don't ask for insurance information first. Police come; they don't ask whether or not there is an insurance card or payer first."
Montana is considering several ways to pay for the 988 service, including a phone surcharge or by asking for federal support.
Kimball said the 988 system needs effective communication between mental health, emergency first responders and police, and added given the high stakes in mental health emergencies, a botched response is not an option.
"One in five fatal police shootings involve someone with mental illness," Kimball reported. "Too often we see really a tragic outcome when people don't get the right help."
The report called for Montana to mobilize 17 crisis-response teams and the state is considering paying for
988 services through either a federal Medicaid match or a 98-cent surcharge on Montanans' phone bills, which would generate a little more than $1 million a year.
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Click on the image above for the audio.
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