Mapped: The state of Georgia's 988 answer rate
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Efforts are still ongoing to create a quicker, more seamless crisis response two years after the federal government revamped its national suicide hotline.
Why it matters: Georgia's 988 local answer rate was 84% at the end of May — up from 56% in October 2021, but still below the national rate of 88%.
- In Georgia, an average of 79% of crisis calls were answered by a counselor during the three years of July 2021 to May 2024, lower than the national average rate of 86%.
Yes, but: A Georgia's Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities spokesman told Axios there's always been a discrepancy between the nationally maintained data from Vibrant, the contractor that oversees the 988 hotline, and state-specific data.
- The spokesman said Georgia's data shows they answered an average of 89% of 988 calls in May, and they averaged 90% each month this year.
Stunning stat: Georgia's average speed to answer 988 calls was under 10 seconds for the week of July 7–13, and its call abandonment rate was only one-half of 1%, a DBHDD spokesman said.
The big picture: More than 10 million calls, texts and chat messages have been fielded by national 988 counselors since its launch in July 2022, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services announced last Tuesday.
Catch up quick: Congress gave states $1 billion to build out the 988 hotline in 2022, amid nationwide concern about worsening mental health, with the expectation that states would establish their own long-term funding to operate call centers and crisis services.
- Nationally, those efforts have been uneven, contributing to significantly lower response times in certain states.
State of play: Though all states use surcharges on cellphone bills to fund 911 services, Georgia is among several states so far that have not done the same for 988, according to a new report from mental health advocacy group Inseparable.
- Georgia also falls behind on other key metrics recorded by Inseparable, like financial stability and accountability.
Zoom in: Kevin Tanner, DBHDD's commissioner, recently said a disproportionate share of their 988 calls come from rural Georgia due to a lack of resources in these areas and stigma, according to the Georgia Recorder.
- About 12% of the 988 calls and texts are coming from Georgians under the age of 18, the Georgia Recorder added.
The bottom line: A DBHDD spokesman told Axios that DBHDD is committed to continuing to improve services for anyone seeking support.
Go deeper: Georgia's 988's rollout exposes more mental health needs
If you or someone you know may be considering suicide, contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255 — or you can text message or call 988.