Indiana FSSA Calls on Partners to Spread Awareness of 988 Crisis Response System

During National Suicide Prevention and National Recovery Month, and to mark the nation’s first 988 Day on Sunday, Sept. 8, FSSA is calling on communities across Indiana to help spread awareness about 988.

The Indiana Family and Social Services Administration announces continued progress in building a comprehensive statewide crisis response system that encompasses all three pillars of the crisis continuum — Someone to Contact, Someone to Respond and A Safe Place for Help.  

During National Suicide Prevention and National Recovery Month, and to mark the nation’s first 988 Day on Sunday, Sept. 8, FSSA is calling on communities across Indiana to help spread awareness about 988 and make sure that all Hoosiers know that help is just a call, text or chat away.

To learn more about what to expect when contacting 988 in Indiana, watch this video.

A toolkit with all the materials needed to help spread awareness is available at 988indiana.org.

Indiana’s five 988 Response Centers’ in-state answer rate of 92% puts the state in the top 10 of the nation. The call centers received more than 7,700 calls in July, compared to 3,700 in July 2022, when the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline launched in Indiana.

The 988 Crisis Response System has rapidly grown, and now has the ability to dispatch mobile crisis teams in more than two-thirds of the state’s 92 counties and has funded 19 Crisis receiving & stabilization service providers, of which 17 are currently operating and open to the public. The final two locations are preparing to open in the coming months, providing a place where Hoosiers can receive services if their crisis cannot be resolved by a call center or mobile crisis team.

“Over the past two years, DMHA has worked diligently to build capacity and statewide coverage for crisis services,” FSSA Secretary Dan Rusyniak, M.D. said. “We are well positioned for the work ahead to ensure all Hoosiers have access to quality, enhanced level of behavioral health services.”

In June 2024, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services named Indiana as one of 10 states selected to participate in the Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinic Medicaid Demonstration Program. To fully develop the state’s behavioral health continuum, the 988 crisis response pillars are an integral part of Indiana’s CCBHC demonstration and mission to fully develop the state’s behavioral health continuum.

About the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline:

988 is a free, confidential resource available 24 hours a day, seven days a week, providing callers a direct connection to compassionate, accessible care and support for anyone experiencing mental health related distress – whether that is thoughts of suicide, mental health or substance use crisis or any other kind of emotional distress. People can also dial 988 if they are worried about a loved one who may need crisis support.

If you or someone you know is currently experiencing thoughts of suicide, or a mental health or substance use crisis, please call or text 988 to reach the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline to speak with a trained crisis specialist 24/7/365. For more information, please visit 988Indiana.org.