Calls to Virginia 988 are soaring, staff struggles to keep up with demand

PORTSMOUTH, Va. (WAVY) — The number of people dialing the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline in Virginia has skyrocketed 157% since it started two years ago according to the KFF .

“It’s a really hard growth for our call center staff to keep up with,” said Curt Gleeson, assistant commissioner for crisis services for the Virginia Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services. “These heroes answering calls 24/7 now are answering twice the number of calls with essentially the same number of staff.”

Gleeson’s team manages 988 in Virginia. He said calls have doubled from 6,500 in November 2023 to 13,000 calls a month on average since May 2024.

He attributes the growth to marketing campaigns that are getting the word out about 988, as well as system changes, including one that requires a person to dial 988 in order to get a mobile crisis unit dispatched.

Despite growing pains, he and Virginia Sen. Tim Kaine are encouraged that more people are seeking help.

“Now, we have to level, set and see use of the call line and combine federal and state agencies to make sure that we have the right workforce and the right resources devoted to it,” Kaine said.

While the federal government helped launch 988, maintaining it largely falls on states.

Virginia was the first to implement a surcharge . Customers pay $0.08 or $0.12 every month depending on their wireless plan, with the money used to provide resources and to hire more people, which Gleeson said is the plan. Due to the demanding nature of the business, however, that is difficult and takes time.

“We’re still in the early stages of building this system,” Gleeson said. “911 took 50 years to build. We’re in year two.”

He added that, as they start to learn more about the reasons people are calling 988, they will be better able to provide the support callers need and, in turn, stabilize that call number.

If you or someone you know is having suicidal thoughts or are in a mental health crisis you can call 988 anytime day or night.

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