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How Kansas and Missouri's 988 counselors are helping emergency callers — without police

Laurie Cox, director of crisis services at Swope Health, discusses the crisis responders at the end of the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline.
Elizabeth Ruiz
/
KCUR 89.3
Laurie Cox, director of crisis services at Swope Health, discusses the crisis responders at the end of the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline.

When someone is in crisis, they might think to dial emergency first responders. But the counselors at the other end of 988 — the Crisis and Suicide Lifeline — may be better equipped to save both lives and money.

A recent study of police shootings by Johns Hopkins showed that from 2015-2020, 23% of all police shootings were associated with mental or behavioral health.

Instead of calling first responders like police or EMS, which could escalate the situation or generate a costly bill, the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline has trained counselors available to respond at any time of day.

"By having us [crisis responders] come out, you don't have to worry about, maybe they'd be taken to jail or taken to a hospital," said Laurie Cox, director of crisis services at Swope Health. "Because it's our purpose to avoid both of those things, if at all possible."

The 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline is a free service, and the team members often have greater expertise than first responders such as police in helping individuals in distress get matched with the resources they need.

"We want to build rapport and connection with the caller," said Dr. Kristin Feeback, president and CEO of CommCare. "Just providing those skills of listening and the ability to give them a resource to match what their need is, in the most least restrictive manner, is very important."

  • Laurie Cox, director of crisis services at Swope Health
  • Dr. Kristin Feeback, president and CEO of CommCare
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