BY SYDNEY HOOVER
A Douglas County counseling center is seeking funds from the Kansas Legislature to expand its services as the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline becomes more accessible.
Headquarters Inc. is one of the original call centers for the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline. Located in Lawrence, it serves all 105 counties in Kansas. Headquarters CEO Steve Devore said the center received almost 14,000 calls from the lifeline in 2019.
“Because the lives of all Kansans, especially that one individual on the other end of that phone line … whose life immediately depends on our help, we have to be ready to continue saving lives every day, 24 hours a day, seven days a week,” Devore said Wednesday in an informational hearing with the Senate Education Committee.
Devore said they anticipate calls will double or even triple with a new expansion to the lifeline called 988. 988 will replace the 10-digit phone number the lifeline currently uses, and those in need will only have to remember three digits in order to reach a local call center.
The House Social Services Budget Committee recommended the Legislature provide Headquarters with $100,000 in the next year to expand its services, including additional phones and other technology, building modifications and adding more staff to the call room.
988 is set to launch in the next 18 months, pending finalization from the Federal Communications Commission. In the next three to five years, the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline anticipates receiving as many as 5 million calls nationwide from a wider range of people with the implementation of 988.
“I think it’s wonderful that our chairman of the FCC … is really wanting to push to move this forward,” said Senate Education Committee Chairwoman Molly Baumgardner, R-Louisburg.
Headquarters answers calls from people in every walk of life, from 10-year-old children to adults as old as 96. Devore said calls vary from people in immediate crisis situations to those with concerns for a loved one. He said most calls come from youth or teachers and school staff.
Devore said he believes in the future, Headquarters will need to continue expanding its services to account for the increase in calls they will see through 988.
“988 will absolutely open the door for more people to reach out needing help,” Devore said. “We simply can’t wait to see what happens and then react.”
The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline can currently be reached at 1-800-273-TALK (8255). It is free and confidential to anyone seeking help.
Reach reporter Sydney Hoover at eudoratimes@gmail.com.
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