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A28 u.s. news
Dialuna 18 Juli 2022

New 988 hotline is the 911 for mental health emergencies

“If we can get 988 to work after taking his suicidal son to
Some states already have like 911 … lives will be an emergency room, only to
comprehensive mental saved,” said Health and Hu- be told by a doctor to come
health crisis systems, but man Services Secretary Xavi- back if the boy hurt himself.
others have a long way to go. er Becerra.
And widespread shortages of Thatcher has battled depres-
mental health specialists are Dispatching paramedics for sion and at 17, he also con-
expected to slow their ability heart attacks and police for sidered suicide. He knew that
to expand services. crimes makes sense — but despondent people in crisis
not for psychiatric emergen- may lack the wherewithal to
A RAND Corp. survey pub- cies, mental health advocates seek out help or to remember
lished last month found that say. Calls to 911 for those the 10-digit national suicide
fewer than half of state or re- crises often lead to violent lifeline number.
gional public health officials law enforcement encounters
were confident about being and trips to jail or crowded Thatcher found that many
ready for 988, which is ex- emergency rooms where sui- of Utah’s in-state crisis lines
pected to generate an influx cidal people can wait days for went straight to police dis-
of calls. treatment. patchers or voicemail. He
(AP) - Quick help for sui- crisis teams that can be sent wondered why there was no
cidal thoughts and other to people’s homes and emer- Nearly 60% said call-center The 988 system “is a real op- 911 service for mental health,
mental health emergen- gency mental health centers, staffers had specialized sui- portunity to do things right,” and the idea got national at-
cies will soon be as easy as similar to urgent care clinics cide prevention training; half said Hannah Wesolowski tention after he mentioned
9-8-8. that treat physical aches and said they had mobile crisis of the National Alliance on it to longtime Sen. Orrin
pains. response teams available 24/7 Mental Illness. Hatch.
The United States’ first na- with licensed counselors; and
tionwide three-digit mental “This is one of the most ex- fewer than one-third had Sustained funding will be In 2020, Congress passed the
health crisis hotline goes live citing things that has hap- urgent mental-health care needed. According to the bill designating the 3-digit
on Saturday. It’s designed to pened” in mental health care, units. National Academy of State crisis number and then-Pres-
be as easy to remember and said Dr. Brian Hepburn, a Health Policy, four states ident Donald Trump signed
use as 911, but instead of a psychiatrist who heads the The 988 system will build on have enacted laws to impose it into law.
dispatcher sending police, National Association of State the National Suicide Preven- telecommunications fees to
firefighters or paramedics, Mental Health Program Di- tion Lifeline, an existing net- support 988 and many others Thatcher’s mother was a
988 will connect callers with rectors. work of over 200 crisis centers are working on the issue. nurse and knew where to get
trained mental health coun- nationwide staffed by coun- him help. He says 988 has the
selors. Hepburn cautions that when selors who answer millions A desperate call to a Utah potential to make it that easy
988 kicks off, it will not be of calls each year — about 2.4 state senator in 2013 helped for others.
The federal government has like “the flick of a switch. million in 2020. Calls to the spark the idea of a three-digit
provided over $280 million It’s going to take a number old lifeline, 1-800-273-8255, mental health crisis line. “If you get help, you live. It
to help states create systems of years in order for us to will still go through even really is that simple,” Thatch-
that will do much more, in- be able to reach everybody with 988 in place. Sen. Daniel Thatcher says a er said.
cluding mobile mental health across the country.” good friend sought his help

US agencies temporarily barred from enforcing LGBTQ guidance

(AP) - A judge in Tennessee has temporar- Montana, Nebraska, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Car- eral sanctions against schools and colleges that fail
ily barred two federal agencies from enforc- olina, South Dakota, Tennessee and West Virginia. to protect gay and transgender students.
ing directives issued by President Joe Biden’s
administration that extended protections for The directives regarding discrimination based on The attorneys general argued that a delaying a legal
LGBTQ people in schools and workplaces. sexual orientation was issued by the U.S. Depart- review of the directives would “cause them signifi-
ment of Education and the Equal Employment cant hardship, as Defendants would be allowed to
U.S. District Judge Charles Atchley Jr. in an order Opportunity Commission in June following a use the ‘fear of future sanctions’ to force ‘imme-
on Friday ruled for the 20 state attorneys general landmark civil rights decision by U.S. Supreme diate compliance’ with the challenged guidance,”
who sued last August claiming the Biden admin- Court in 2020 that, under a provision called Title Atchley wrote.
istration directives infringe on states’ right to en- VII, protects gay, lesbian and transgender people
act laws that, for example, prevent students from from discrimination in the workplace. “The Court finds that Plaintiffs have shown a cred-
participating in sports based on their gender iden- ible threat of enforcement,” Atchley wrote. “Plain-
tity or requiring schools and businesses to provide The Department of Education guidance from June tiffs highlight that private litigants are relying on
bathrooms and showers to accommodate transgen- 2021 said discrimination based on a student’s sex- Defendants’ guidance to challenge Plaintiffs’ state
der people. ual orientation or gender identity would be treated laws.”
as a violation of Title IX, the 1972 federal law that
Atchley, appointed by President Donald Trump in protects sex discrimination in education. Atchley noted that the U.S. Department of Educa-
2020, agreed with the attorneys generals’ argument tion has filed a statement of interest in a West Vir-
and issued a temporary injunction that prevents the The Equal Employment Opportunity Commis- ginia lawsuit taking a position that Title IX prohib-
agencies from applying that guidance on LGBTQ sion released guidance that month about what its the state from excluding transgender girls from
discrimination until the matter can be resolved by could constitute discrimination against LGBTQ participating in single-sex sports restricted to girls.
courts. people and advised the public about how to file a
complaint.
“As demonstrated above, the harm alleged by Plain-
tiff States is already occurring — their sovereign With its guidance, the Biden administration in
power to enforce their own legal code is hampered part took a stand against laws and proposals in a
by the issuance of Defendants’ guidance and they growing number of states that aim to forbid trans-
face substantial pressure to change their state laws gender girls from participating on female sports
as a result,” Atchley wrote. teams. The state attorneys general contend that the
authority over such policies “properly belongs to
The attorneys general are from Alabama, Alaska, Congress, the States, and the people.”
Arizona, Arkansas, Georgia, Idaho, Indiana, Kan-
sas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, The education policy carried the possibility of fed-