Illinois struggles with 988 rollout
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Illinois is one of the worst states in the nation for responding to calls through the 988 mental health hotline.
The big picture: Almost two years after the debut of a revamped national suicide hotline, its promise of a quicker, more seamless crisis response across the country is still a work in progress.
Where it stands: Calls, texts and chats to the hotline are up since it was relaunched as an easy-to-remember three-digit service in July 2022.
- But in Illinois, only 66% of 988 calls were answered locally last month, well below the national rate of 89%, according to federal data.
- Just looking at response rates doesn't give the full picture of how well a state has implemented 988, but it's an indicator of whether a state's call center has adequate resources, Angela Kimball, chief advocacy officer for mental health advocacy group Inseparable, tells Axios.
Why it matters: Congress gave states $1 billion to build out the 988 hotline, amid nationwide concern over worsening mental health, with the expectation that states would establish their own own long-term funding to operate call centers and crisis services.
- But those efforts have been uneven, contributing to significantly lower response times in certain states.