This year, more than 3,700 calls from Kentucky to the 988 suicide-and-crisis lifeline have been routed to the Veterans Crisis Line

This story has been updated.

By Lisa Autry

WKU Public Radio

More than 16,000 Kentucky veterans struggling with their mental health have used the national 988 hotline since it launched two years ago.

The suicide and crisis lifeline doesn’t require callers to disclose personal information, but veterans' overall use can be tracked because callers can be directed to the Veterans Crisis Line. In Kentucky, more than 3,700 calls have been routed to the veterans line so far this year, according to the state Cabinet for Health and Family Services.

In a recent speech to the Veterans of Foreign Wars state convention in Bowling Green, Gov. Andy Beshear urged veterans to seek help.

“We see an epidemic of suicide among our veterans and even our active service members that is unacceptable," Beshear said. "It’s important we have all of the services to make that individual whole at the ready.”

Since the 988 line was launched in July 2022, more than 80,000 calls have been received from residents of Kentucky.

The line connects those in distress to trained counselors 24 hours a day, via calls, chats or text messages. Thirteen of Kentucky's 14 regional mental health centers serve as call centers, and the 14th is in the process of becoming nationally certified. That means 988 calls in all 120 counties can be served by a local center instead of the call being answered out of state.

Calls from all 120 counties are routed initially to an in-state center. If they're not answered within 90 seconds, the calls roll over to an out-of-state backup center.

Since May 2023, the state has seen a 40% increase in calls from Kentuckians to 988 and a 53% increase in the number of those calls that are answered in-state.

"The centers work continuously to recruit, train, and retain compassionate local individuals dedicated to helping fellow Kentuckians in crisis," said Brice Mitchell, a spokesman for the state Cabinet for Health and Family Services. "Using federal grant funding, the centers have increased the workforce capacity through hiring staff and utilizing volunteers."

In May, 84% percent of calls in May were answered at the local level, according to to CHFS. The current in-state answer time of 23 seconds remains faster than the national average of 36 seconds.

988 roll-out uneven, but Ky. appears to be doing 'pretty well;' last of 14 regional mental-health centers nearing certification for calls

By Melissa Patrick

Kentucky Health News

Even though the roll-out of the three-digit national suicide hotline remains a work in progress across the nation, Kentucky's roll-out over the past two years has gone "pretty well."

So says Steve Shannon, executive director of the Kentucky Association of Regional Programs for mental health. He said Kentucky's success has largely been because of a statewide 988 coalition and its subcommittees that work toward quality outcomes and toward having all of the state's 988 calls to be answered by people inside the state.

"We appreciate the partnership with the team at the Department for Behavioral Health, Developmental and Intellectual Disabilities," he said. "The call centers have worked very closely with them and it's been a great outcome for Kentuckians." 

The 988 line connects people experiencing a mental-health or substance-use crisis with a trained counselor. Shannon said 13 of the state's 14 community mental health centers act as call centers, and that the 14th center is in the process of getting certified to meet the national 988 call center standards, which will mean that eventually 988 calls in all 120 counties can be served by their regional cengter.   

"Our goal is 100% of Kentucky calls get answered by Kentucky," he said. 

Brice Mitchell, spokesman for the state Cabinet for Health and Family Services, also praised Kentucky's 988 roll-out, stating that the centers have used federal grants to increase workforce capacity by hiring staff and utilizing volunteers. 

"These efforts have ensured calls to 988 are most often answered at the local level, 84% in May," Mitchell said in an email. "Additionally, the current in-state answer rate of 25 seconds steadily remains faster than the national average of 36 seconds, and we know every second is critical when it comes to getting someone connected to help."

Asked about the 379 abandoned in-state calls that were reported in May, Mitchell said, "We are not able to determine why calls may be abandoned; one reason could be due to internet or cell phone instability." 

Since May 2023, the state has seen a 40% increase in calls from Kentuckians to 988 and a 53% increase in the number of those calls that are answered in state. Additionally, there has been a 15% increase in Kentucky’s answer rate over the past two years, according to data provided by the the cabinet. 

The federal government provided about $1 billion to launch and implement the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline, with the expectation that states would establish their own funding to operate the call centers, but Axios reports that the "efforts have been uneven . . .  leading to significantly lower response times in certain states." 988 launched in July 2022. 

Axios reports that only 10 states have added a surcharge to cell-phone bills to fund 988 services, though all states fund their general-emergency 911 services in this way, according to a report from Inseparable, a mental health advocacy group. Kentucky is not one of them. 

Kentucky's General Assembly has put money in the budget for the 988 call centers since the 2022 legislative session, but "At some point, a dedicated funding mechanism that allows to accommodate for growth and calls is really necessary," Shannon said. "The appropriation is good, but the concern is, as utilization increases, those costs will increase."  He added that there have been some "preliminary conversations" about this, and the goal is to have an "ongoing, dedicated funding stream, comparable to 911."

This year, Rep. Adam Bowling, R-Middlesboro, filed HB 740 to fund 988 with a fee on special license plates, gifts, grants, contributions, appropriations or other sources. It was never heard in committee.

Another challenge is that many people still don't know about 988. The Pew Charitable Trusts released a survey last year that showed only 13% of adults in the U.S. had heard of the 988 line.

A national 988 paid marketing campaign will launch this month and run through October to help address this issue. It will also likely increase the number of calls. 

Axios reports that going forward, "States and cities are also moving toward integrated 988 and 911 services, said Kaiser Family Foundation researcher Heather Saunders, who tracks policies around the hotline. Federal regulators are also looking to require that 988 calls are routed to a person's actual location, rather than their area code, to better connect them with nearby resources." 

Eastern State Hospital is 200 years old; ex-patient, who says it saved his life, urges those who need mental-health care to get it

By Melissa Patrick
Kentucky Health News

This story mentions suicide. If you or someone you know is contemplating suicide, please call or text the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 988.

Eastern State Hospital in Lexington, which is celebrating its 200th anniversary this month, is the oldest continuously operating state psychiatric hospital in the United States.

When Eastern State opened its doors as part of the old Fayette Hospital on May 1, 1824, it was just the second state psychiatric hospital in the nation, according to a University of Kentucky news release. 

“We believe that health care is a right for all Kentuckians; this includes access to mental-health resources,” said Lt. Gov. Jacqueline Coleman, who spoke at the official observance of the anniversary. “For 200 years, Eastern State Hospital has provided care for Kentuckians in need of help. The staff at Eastern State Hospital is knowledgeable and compassionate. They deserve to be called health-care heroes.”

Lexington lawyer Bruce Simpson – who received treatment at Eastern State following a suicide attempt in January 2023 – shared his personal story and thanked the staff who helped him at the anniversary celebration. Below is a YouTube video, produced by UK, of Simpson telling his story. 

The UK news release notes that after his evaluation at Eastern State, Simpson began medication for his illness and began ongoing therapy, which he says has vastly improved his health. 

“I said, ‘I’m fine’ a million times. I was not fine,” Simpson said in the release. “But we need to talk openly about mental-health treatment. If you have a stomach ache, you’re going to the doctor. If your heart is palpitating, you’re going to the doctor. But if you have depression, you’re just as likely to not see anyone or even acknowledge you have a problem. That is a cultural correction we need to make. Mental illness is just as legitimate as cancer, heart disease, broken bones and a stomachache.”

For Simpson, who said he had dealt with ideas of suicide for nearly four decades, the stay at Eastern State completely changed his life.

“The clarity of my thinking now is so much better than it’s ever been,” he said in the release. “Eastern State got me on a different track. I want people to know that it is the best place to be if you’re in serious struggles with mental health. I wish I had gotten treated 40 years ago, and I don’t want anyone to suffer 40 years like I did. If things get difficult, don’t be afraid of going to Eastern State.”

"I can't say enough about the care I received at Eastern State along with my fellow patients," he said at the event. "But we're entitled to the same courtesy, respect and treatment as someone that's completely mentally healthy as human beings. And an Eastern State Hospital, I have 100% certainty that that takes place and I applaud the staff and I thank you for saving my life."

Health and Family Services Secretary Eric Friedlander said Eastern State's history "mirrors the many astounding developments in mental-health treatment over the past two centuries, from long-term custodial care in the 19th century, to the advent of modern medications in the mid-20th century, and the present focus on evidence-based, recovery-oriented services. Today the staff of Eastern State provide state-of-the-art care in a state-of-the-art facility to meet its unwavering goal of enhancing the behavioral health and quality of life of the Kentuckians it serves."

At the event, Kelly Gunning, director of advocacy and policy for the National Alliance on Mental Illness Lexington, said in 2002 she understood why her youngest son was "horrified" to be admitted to Eastern State Hospital -- and it had nothing to do with the dedicated staff.

"But the place itself was so foreboding and so off putting and so scary that it was stigmatizing for the patients that had to go there," she said. "Together, we decided we were going to start a campaign to make it better." 

Eastern State Hospital (Photo provided)

The state opened a modern, 300,000-square-foot Eastern State facility on UK’s Coldstream Research Campus in 2013 that houses 195 acute care beds and provides critical, recovery-focused psychiatric care for adults from a 50-county region of the state.

In 2021, then hospital became the first state psychiatric facility to achieve Magnet status, the gold standard for nursing excellence.

Later this summer the hospital will open its new Emergency Psychiatric Assessment Treatment and Healing unit, known as EmPATH. This program will offer an individual-centered, evidence-based care model designed to address the increasing needs for inpatient and emergency psychiatric care across Kentucky, according to the release. 

Eight suicides in a month make for 'mental health crisis' in PIke

Pike County (Wikipedia map)

By Stan Ingold, WEKU

Officials in Eastern Kentucky are dealing with what they are calling a “mental health crisis.” In Pike County, over the last 30 days at least eight people have committed suicide.

To put that into perspective, the county had eight suicides in all of 2023, said Tammy Riley, the county's public health director. She said there are two common occurrences with these incidents.

“In a short span on time, the suicides have all been adults, ranging from the 30's to the 80's as far as years of age, primarily all have been male, and the mode has all been via firearms.”

She said many agencies are banding together to address the issue, including “Mountain Comprehensive Care Center, that's the federally qualified help center that is our primary provider for mental-health services for Pike County. We're also working with the Pike County coroner's office, the judge-executive's office, as well as resources available through the Kentucky Department of Public Health.”

Riley said the county is working on hosting several events in the coming days to make sure people are aware of resources that can help.

She also encouraged the use of the 988 crisis hotline for anyone who may feel they are in some kind of mental distress. Anyone can call or text 988 at any time to speak to someone qualified to help.

Bills to become law on vaping, pharmacy reform, vaccinations, drugs, at-home blood testing, coverage of cancer screening, more

Kentucky State Capitol (Photo via Wikipedia)

By Melissa Patrick
Kentucky Health News

In its 2024 session the Kentucky General Assembly has passed dozens of health-related bills that address a range of topics. With one day left in the session, here are some of them: 

Vaping: House Bill 11 limits legal sale of vaping products to those approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. It also creates a database of retailers that sell the products and sets fines for retailers, manufacturers and wholesalers who violate the law.

HB 142 requires school districts to adopt specific policies that penalize students for possession of "alternative nicotine products, tobacco products or vapor products" and report nicotine-related incidents to the state Department of Education. Changes in the Senate, accepted by the House, allow schools and their governing bodies to apply for grants related to nicotine usage and remove the mandate that schools suspend students with a third possession violation. 

Pharmacy reform: Senate Bill 188 changes laws governing commercial pharmacy benefit managers, with requirements aimed at saving the state's independent pharmacies from closing.  It provides for dispensing fees, bans PBMs from forcing patients to get their drugs through mail order, and keeps them from steering patients to pharmacies that they own.

The bill, sponsored by Sen. Max Wise, R-Campbellsville, also prohibits a PBM from reimbursing a pharmacy that it owns at a higher rate than a community pharmacy, or from keeping a community pharmacy from filling a 90-day prescription for a maintenance drug. And a PBM will not be able to penalize a community pharmacy from sharing information with a patient on the cheapest option to pay for their medications.

Reducing barriers to screening

Cancer detection: HB 52 will require health-insurance plans to cover all preventive cancer screenings and tests that are consistent with nationally recognized clinical practice guidelines without requiring patients to pay any cost-sharing requirements, including a deductible charge for the services.

The sponsor, Rep. Deanna Frazier Gordon, a Republican from Richmond, told Kentucky Health News in February that the cost for screenings is often a barrier for people who often don't get screened because they don't have symptoms.

HB 115 will eliminate co-payments and cost-sharing requirements for high-risk individuals who need follow-up diagnostic imaging to rule out breast cancer. Currently, screening mammograms are covered by insurance, but follow-up exams are often not. 

“Thousands of Kentuckians require diagnostic and supplemental breast imaging every year, yet many forgo them due to out-of-pocket costs. Not any more,"  Molly Guthrie, vice president of policy and advocacy at the breast-cancer foundation Susan G. Komen, said in a news release. "This life-saving legislation means they will now receive the breast imaging they require, leading to an earlier breast cancer diagnosis and often better health outcomes."

Vaccines and drugs  

Vaccinations: HB 274 will allow Kentucky pharmacists to order and administer vaccinations to children as young as 5. The state's routine vaccination rates for kindergarteners remain below pre-pandemic levels.

Pseudoephedrine: HB 386 will raise the annual purchase limits on pseudoephedrine to help people with chronic allergies legally obtain enough of the medication to meet their needs. The bill changes the current 24-gram annual limit to an 86.4 grams, and remove the limit on the number of packages per transaction, said sponsor Robert Duvall, R-Bowling Green.

Kratom: HB 293 will regulate kratom, a natural herbal supplement that is not currently regulated. It is often used for anxiety, pain, PTSD and opioid withdrawal. The bill defines kratom, prohibits sales to people under 21, puts it behind the counter and provides guidelines for manufacturing and labeling. It also says federal law supersedes state law on the matter. 

Blood thinners: HB 31 allows Medicaid patients in Kentucky who are on blood thinners to use at-home machines to test their blood. Patients on some blood thinners, like warfarin, now require a weekly trip to the doctor's office for blood work that looks at how fast their blood clots.

Amanda Crabtree, a registered nurse at University of Kentucky Chandler Hospital, told WKYT-TV that she hopes that other states will follow Kentucky's example in this legislation. Crabtree said she expects that Medicaid patients could receive their at-home machines as soon as this summer.

Health-care business issues

Provider liability: HB 159 will protect health-care providers from criminal liability when a medical error harms a patient unless the harm results from gross negligence or wanton, willful, malicious or intentional misconduct. 

This effort was led by the Kentucky Nurses Association, which said the bill "will prevent health-care professionals from being charged criminally for making a medical error; that makes it good for nurses and nursing, and puts Kentucky at the forefront of developing laws to protect health-care workers." 

Workplace violence: HB 194 extends to contract workers, such as travel nurses, the law that makes violence against health-care workers a third-degree assault. It also extends this protection, now limited to hospitals, to contract employees at health clinics, doctor offices, dental offices and long-term care facilities. 

Sepsis: HB 477 establishes diagnostic criteria for sepsis allow hospitals to preserve current rules used for reimbursement of sepsis care, which allow payment when it is detected early, instead of only allowing reimbursement after organ failure occurs. 

"We know that if sepsis is caught early, the likelihood of survival is great," Jim Musser, vice president for policy with the Kentucky Hospital Association, told Kentucky Health News in March. "But for every hour that we wait, the chance of mortality increases by 7 percent." In sepsis, "The body responds improperly to an infection," says the Mayo Clinic. "Sepsis may progress to septic shock . . . When the damage is severe, it can lead to death."

Other health bills that passed

Youth medical records: HB 174 allows parents have access to their child’s medical records until they turn 18. Right now, children 13 and older must sign a waiver for parents to have access to them. HB 174 also updates the state's Medical Orders for Scope of Treatment form, which defines a person's end-of-life wishes.

Veteran suicide prevention: HB 30 calls on the state Department of Veterans Affairs to create a suicide prevention program for service members, veterans and their families.

Stuttering: SB 111 eliminates some insurance coverage limits on speech therapy for stuttering. It was promoted by former UK basketball star Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, who has overcome stuttering.

Medicaid: SB 71 is designed to keep people from coming to Kentucky to establish residence so that they can sign up for drug treatment to be paid for by Medicaid. One challenge resulting from this practice, according to Rep. Shane Baker, R-Somerset, is that when they leave the program, they are often homeless. 

SB 280 will allow Level II trauma centers that partner with a  university to get the university-hospital rate for services delivered as part of that residency program.

Drugs getting stronger and killing more Kentucky children; report calls for protective action, also to keep kids from getting guns

Graph from state report, adapted by Kentucky Health News

By Deborah Yetter
Kentucky Lantern

Kentucky’s youngest children continue to be at risk of drug overdoses from accidental ingestion — with the number of fatalities and the strength of the drug, or combination of drugs, increasing.

Eight children died from ingesting drugs and another 47 suffered an overdose in the fiscal year that ended June 30, 2022, among cases reviewed by the Child Fatality and Near Fatality External Review Panel, which released its annual report Thursday.

The majority of overdose victims in the report were age 4 or younger. Five years ago, by contrast, one child died among the 32 overdose cases it reviewed, the panel reported.

And just a fraction of child overdoses in Kentucky are identified in the report; the panel reviews only cases where abuse or neglect is suspected in the death or near-death of a child.

In 2022, 721 children were treated in Kentucky hospital emergency rooms for drug ingestion, with 72 requiring hospitalization, according to emergency department data, the report said.

Dr. Melissa Currie, a forensic pediatrician and founding member of the panel, said such cases are among her greatest concerns.

“I do believe ingestions are a major problem and it’s getting worse rapidly,” said Currie, a professor of medicine with Norton Children’s Hospital and the University of Louisville medical school. “We need to do a better job of educating parents about how dangerous that is.”

Drug use in the home presents the greatest risk, the report said.

“Children living in a home with a caregiver using illicit or other dangerous substances are at a higher risk of accidental ingestion,” the report said. It said children also are at risk of ingesting drugs used to treat opioid use disorder, such as buprenorphine.

Among the drugs children are ingesting: opiods, fentanyl, drugs used to treat opioid use disorder, and increasingly, cannabis or other products containing THC, the main chemical in marijuana.

Often such cases involve a combination of drugs.

One example it cited: A 19-month-old who died tested positive for fentanyl and morphine in a home where an adult overdose death had occurred just two months before and where both parents reported using heroin. Two other children in the home tested positive for fentanyl, a powerful, synthetic opioid.

Cannabis products were linked to the deaths of two children who ingested them, the report said.

Currie said the public doesn’t realize the risks even of legal products derived from hemp, such as gummies.

“It can still put kids in the ICU,” she said.

Most deaths or injuries preventable

Created in 2012 to conduct comprehensive reviews of child deaths and serious injuries from abuse or neglect, the independent panel of physicians, judges, lawyers, police, legislators and social service and health professionals meets regularly throughout the year to analyze such cases.

It is charged with producing an annual report to detail its findings to the governor, lawmakers and other officials along with recommendations for improving conditions for children in a state that has long ranked high for its rate of child abuse and neglect.

A member of the panel, state Sen. Danny Carroll, R-Paducah, said he has not had an opportunity to review the final report, but a spokesman said Carroll and the General Assembly generally consider its findings in crafting public policy.

The 2024 report examined 202 cases in which 68 children died and 134 suffered life-threatening injuries from July 1, 2021 to June 30, 2022. Most of the deaths were from neglect; 10 were from physical abuse.

The report says nearly all 90 percent of the deaths and injuries could have been prevented with appropriate precautions, such as safely storing medications or securing firearms.

Areas the panel examined this year included drug overdoses, physical abuse, neglect, firearm deaths including suicide and the role of the Cabinet for Health and Family Services in responding to reports of child abuse and neglect.

Common factors in child deaths and injuries included household financial stress, mental illness, family violence and addiction.

The report charts only a fraction of Kentucky’s child overdose/drug-ingestion cases because the panel is responsible for looking only at cases involving neglect or abuse in the death or near death of a child. In 2022, 721 children were treated in Kentucky hospital emergency rooms for drug ingestion, with 72 requiring hospitalization, according to emergency-department data.

Here are some of the key findings and recommendations:

Overdose and ingestion cases

In light of a rise in such cases over the past five years, the panel recommends better education for all professionals involved in medication-assisted treatment for adults with addiction.

Among cases of drug ingestion by children that were studied by the panel, 37% of their caregivers were receiving medication-assisted treatment, including medication for opioid misuse.

That training should stress reminding patients to safely store medication and for health professionals to report when a parent relapses.

It also recommends the Kentucky Board of Medical Licensure, which governs doctors, provide more continuing education to doctors on opioid ingestion in children.

The report also recommends training for medical marijuana providers. The Kentucky General Assembly in 2023 approved the use of medical marijuana for certain serious conditions though the law does not take effect until 2025.

It also urges more public education on safe-sleep practices and the dangers of a child sleeping with an adult, especially one who is impaired.

“Drinking and drug use (even prescribed) impair our ability to care for a child, making bed-sharing and other unsafe sleep practices even more dangerous,” the report said.

Tor the seventh year in a row, the panel asked the legislature to fund family-recovery courts statewide, not just in Jefferson and Clay counties.

And it urged a statewide system to create a “Plan of Safe Care,” a federally required system to track and assist families with children at risk, particularly infants born exposed to drugs.

Despite the federal requirement, Kentucky — and most states — have not fully implemented such a system with responsibility not clearly defined.

“We need to put this on everyone’s radar,” Currie said. “Somebody needs to step in and take responsibility or the legislature needs to assign responsibility.”

Firearms a ‘deadly means’

The report also says access to firearms continues to put children at risk.

In one case, a 4-year-old playing with a loaded handgun he found in the glove compartment of a car fatally shot himself. In another, a 14-year-old was fatally shot in the head by a friend while handling a loaded firearm in the parents’ bedroom.

Contrary to many parents' belief, research demonstrates that most children know where guns are stored and they will touch a firearm if provided the opportunity despite education not to touch it.

The report also factors in child suicides, citing the death by suicide of a 14-year-old boy who had access to unsecured firearms in the home.

The panel reviewed seven suicide cases from 2022, five fatal — four involving a firearm — and two attempts resulting in serious injury. The average age of the child was 13.

Sadly, the panel reports, the cases it reviewed were just a portion of all suicide deaths of youths in Kentucky for 2022, when 29 children under 18 died by suicide..

The report cited “a significant increase” in firearm injuries in cases it reviewed for the past five years involving 48 deaths and 24 near fatalities.

The panel classified such cases as “access to deadly means” that were largely preventable. In many cases, parents had told children not to handle firearms or thought they had hidden the weapon, the report said.

“Contrary to the beliefs of many parents, research demonstrates most children know where guns are stored and will touch a firearm if provided the opportunity despite education not to touch the firearm,” it said.

The panel recommends the legislature research national models and develop legislation to promote safe storage of firearms.

Currie said she understands firearms legislation is controversial but said it shouldn’t be when it comes to child safety.

“It should be a non-issue,” she said. “That should be something we can all agree on.”

More than 1 in 10 minors ambulanced to ERs have behavioral issues, but EMS lacks guidelines in Ky. and most other states

Photo illustration by Maga Doctor News

Kentucky Health News

Here's another indication that the country has a youth mental-health crisis: More than 1 in 10 minors who were brought to the hospital by ambulance in 2019-20 had a behavioral-health emergency, and 85 percent were between 11 and 18 years old, says a study in the journal Academic Emergency Medicine.

“Our study found that pediatric behavioral-health emergencies requiring an ambulance were much too frequent,” said the study's senior author, Dr. Jennifer Hoffmann, emergency-medicine physician at Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago and assistant professor at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine.

But there are no national guidelines for emergency medical servcies to manage such patients, Hoffmann said in a news release: “We found considerable variation in the use of sedative medications and restraints across different parts of the country. There is a great need for standardized EMS protocols for pediatric behavioral health emergencies. Currently only four states have these available.” Those are Maryland, Michigan, Rhode Island and Utah.

Among children 6 through 11, the study found that children with developmental, communication and physical disabilities were three times more likely to be restrained than children without these disabilities.

“EMS personnel are likely less comfortable with weight-based dosing of sedative medications, and EMS agencies in most states don’t have pediatric-specific sedative protocols, which might contribute to the increased use of physical restraints for younger children while in the ambulance,” said Julia Wnorowska, a Northwestern medical student who was first author on the study.

“Also, protocols for EMS personnel are needed to help manage children with autism spectrum disorders and other neurodevelopmental disabilities. Specific interventions could be developed to prevent and reduce agitation in this population, such as personalized emergency information forms that delineate patient-specific triggers and de-escalation techniques.”

Hoffman said, “Future research should determine whether the use of restrictive interventions can be reduced, while simultaneously promoting staff safety, through strategies such as education and adoption of pediatric-specific protocols.”

Op-ed looks at ways to address loneliness, which is linked to a number of health conditions; Ky. is above average for loneliness

Kentucky ranks in the top 20 states for loneliness, which can involve far more than feelings of sadness from being alone. Research shows it is linked to strokes, heart disease, dementia, inflammation and suicide.

"It breaks the heart literally as well as figuratively," opinion columnist Nicholas Kristof writes for the New York Times as part of a series titled "How America Heals," aimed at finding ways to fix this problem. 

The physical and societal harms that come from loneliness are so bad that America's top public-health official, Surgeon General Vivek H. Murthy, issued a rare advisory with a framework to rebuild social connection and community in the U.S. in May.

Graph from surgeon general's advisory,
"Our Epidemic of Loneliness and Isolation" 

Loneliness is as deadly as smoking 15 cigarettes a day and more lethal than consuming six alcoholic drinks a day, according to Murthy. It is also more dangerous than physical inactivity, obesity and air pollution, he says. 

Research also shows America has been growing lonelier. A majority of adults (58 %) report experiencing loneliness, according to a Morning Consult survey commissioned by The Cigna Group, a health-insurance company.

An Aging In Place study found that Kentucky tied with Arkansas for loneliness at 18th among states, with scores of 5.16 on a 10-point scale. Maine was first at 7.6, and Utah was best off, at 0.72. The study noted that more than half of Utahns identify as Mormons, which "may contribute to the low numbers of divorce and single-person households."

The study looked at a range of factors, including the percentage of single-person households, number of people widowed, number of people divorced, searches for dating apps per 10,000 people and searches for friendship apps per 10,000 people, to determine which states struggle the most with loneliness.

Kristof writes that there are ways to build connections that bind us together and writes about some of those approaches taken by the United Kingdom, which he says "is the pioneer of these efforts, having established the post of minister for loneliness in 2018. Britain oversees public-private partnerships that collectively knit millions of people together with programs like nature walks, songwriting workshops and community litter pickups." And, he adds, other countries have followed suit.  

"That’s because if the researchers are correct, social isolation probably kills far more people in the West each year than terrorists and murderers, and it costs the public enormous sums in unnecessary health costs," Kristof writes. "Countermeasures can make a huge difference: One review of 148 studies concluded that social connections increase the odds of an individual’s surviving over roughly the next seven years by about 50 percent." 

Kristof says he writes from troubles he's witnessed: "More than one-quarter of the children who rode the No. 6 school bus with me in Yamhill, Oregon, have died from drugs, alcohol, suicide and other so-called deaths of despair. These pathologies are linked to social isolation." 

However, he notes that despite the economic devastation of during the Great Depression, mortality then didn’t rise but actually fell." He attributes this to the "strength of community institutions -- like churches, men's and women's clubs and extended families -- that existed during that time." 

Ninety-odd years later, "Those community institutions have frayed," he writes. "Now we’re on our own, and perhaps that’s why so many are also dying alone." 

Kristof says he recognizes that it's not easy to rebuild such networks, but says we have to try, and offers some suggestions. 

"The steps to tackle loneliness aren’t grand, high-tech or expensive. In fact, one of the strategies is simply to get people back into old-fashioned patterns like eating meals together, holding parties and volunteering to help one another out," he writes.

He notes that the U.K. ministry has spent "some $100 million" to address loneliness since 2018, often to support local initiatives. One of those is a local, weekly family-style luncheon for women and children, many of them immigrants who struggle with English. 

He says decline of religious attendance has left a gap in community building, but "church buildings can still provide a physical architecture for connections, even if the faith architecture has eroded." 

He also points to several community-wide events to combat loneliness, including an event held for King Charles's coronation in May called “The Big Help-Out” to encourage people to come together and volunteer, and 6 million people, almost a tenth of the nation's population, did so. "The response was so impressive that this may become an annual event," he writes.

Why did loneliness increase? Kristof says the trends toward larger homes and longer working hours has left less time to share meals, and he notes studies that show social media has led to people being more lonely. Pets and talking robots have been suggested as solutions, he writes, but "It seems that there’s something to be said for friends who are living, breathing human beings." 

In his advisory, Surgeon General Murthy offered a strategy to address loneliness that begins with building up infrastructure that enables social connection: physical infrastructure such as parks and libraries, and social infrastructure to weave together volunteers or enthusiasts with similar interests.

Britain can serve as a model for this, Kristof writes. He points to a town that has has trained more than 1,100 volunteers to be “community connectors" who engage people and encourage them to join events or participate in programs. He also points to the idea of a "chatty bench" adopted in the U.K., Sweden and Australia, a bench with a sign encouraging strangers to talk to each other. 

"Solutions to loneliness are like that — little nudges to encourage us to mingle the way we evolved to," Kristof writes, suggesting that government do more: "President Biden, how about creating a senior government post analogous to a minister for loneliness? And mayors and governors, how about some chatty benches in American parks, along with volunteers deputized to bring us out for nature walks and sing-alongs?"

Study ranks Ky. 11th in mental health, No. 1 for adults and No. 31 for youth; 78% of calls to new 988 line are answered in the state

By Melissa Patrick

Kentucky Health News

Mental Health America, a nonprofit that promotes mental health and programs to address it, ranked Kentucky 11th in the nation for mental health and access to care, and No. 1 when it comes to adult mental health. It ranked 31st in youth mental health. The rankings are in a report, The State of Mental Health in America. 

"These rankings show that we've been working hard in Kentucky to address a very challenging field but being committed to getting it done," Gov. Andy Beshear said at a news conference, adding later, "Folks, mental-health care is health care, just as important as any form of physical health care. And I'm glad the work we've been doing is being noticed around the country." 

Beshear ticked off a long list of ways that Kentucky has worked to improve mental-health care in the state, including the extension of Medicaid benefits to children and women who are pregnant or postpartum; laws that expand access to assisted outpatient treatment for people with severe mental illness; implementation of policies that allow peace officers and firefighters to take 48 hours of mental-health leave after being involved in a traumatic situation; creation of the Kentucky Judicial Mental Health Commission; and laws that make telehealth more available to everyone. 

Beshear also noted that the state has supported mental health services to victims of natural disasters,  trained law enforcement officers on how to recognize and interact with folks in a mental health crisis, committed millions of dollars towards expanding school-based mental health resources, passed a law to allow students to take mental health days and created a student mental health initiative to make sure young people have a place to be heard. In addition, a law to protect doctors seeking treatment for mental health issues just went into effect. 

Beshear also noted that the news of the high ranking came at the first anniversary of Kentucky's use of the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline, the short, easy-to-remember, confidential crisis hotline for mental health. 

"Since this free, confidential 24/7 line launch, we have seen a significant increase in call volume, text messages and chats with a decrease in abandonment rates and speed to answer," Beshear said. 

The latest data shows over 22,000 calls have been answered since last July, an increase of 22% compared to the prior 12 months, in addition to nearly 9,000 text messages and 9,000 online chats since the launch, Beshear said.

"I'm very proud of the work done in mental health these past few years in the commonwealth, but maybe what I'm most proud of is the people who are willing to reach out. . . . It's OK to not be OK. It's OK to reach out for help. It's OK to get tips or counseling to help you get through the hard times," he said. "People train a good portion of their life, go to school to help you if you need it and they are out there waiting for you and everyone who is feeling overwhelmed."

KFF Health News map, adapted by Ky. Health News; click it to enlarge.

Kentucky has a relatively low rate of 988 calls being answered in the state, according to KFF Health News, which reports: "988 uses the caller’s area code to route the call to the crisis center closest to that area code. If local centers don’t answer calls, they are redirected to out-of-state overflow facilities, which handle approximately 8% of all calls nationally. If national overflow facility counselors are not familiar with local resources, they may not be able to assist callers with treatment referrals or extra assistance, which can be better provided by local crisis centers. Several factors can affect a state’s in-state answer rate–including how much and how long it invests in its local call centers and broader crisis services."

MHA's Kentucky rankings

Looking at all of the adult and youth measures, the report ranked Kentucky 10th for the prevalence of mental illness and 24th for access to care. It then gave a ranking for each measure in the report. 

Kentucky adults ranked 30th in prevalence of mental illness and fourth for substance-use disorder in the past year; 25th for serious thoughts of suicide; 27th for access to care; eighth for having any mental illness reporting an unmet need; third for uninsured people having any mental illness; and fifth for those who had 14 or more mentally unhealthy days in a month and could not see a doctor due to costs. 

Overall, MHA ranked Kentucky's youth 31st for the combined seven youth measures.

It ranked Kentucky 8th for youth prevalence of mental illness; 28th for youth with substance-use disorder in the past year; eighth for youth with severe major depressive episode (MDE); 48th for youth with MDE who did not receive mental health services; 43rd for youth with severe MDE who received some consistent treatment; 11th for youth with private insurance that did not cover mental or emotional problems; and 25th for students identified with emotional disturbance for an Individualized Education Program. 

The report also looked at mental-health workforce availability, of which Kentucky ranked 30th among states and the District of Columbia. 

The rankings are based on the percentages, or rates, for each state collected from the most recently available data and largely come from data collected up to 2020. The scores were analyzed by calculating a standardized score; the higher the ranking, the better the score.

Veterans' advocates tell legislators they need help to prevent veteran suicide; Ky. loses about 118 veterans to suicide per year

This story deals with suicide. If you or someone you know is contemplating suicide, please call or text the National Suicide and Crisis Lifeline at 988.

By Melissa Patrick

Kentucky Health News

The legislature's Interim Joint Committee on Veterans, Military Affairs and Public Protection spent over two hours hearing from organizations advocating for resources to prevent veteran suicide at its June 21 meeting.

“We owe these men and women a tremendous debt of gratitude and it is paramount that legislators work to protect and care for Kentucky’s military service members and retirees," Rep. Walker Thomas, co-chair of the committee, said in a news release.

"According to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, in 2020, 119 of the 6,146 veteran suicides nationwide were Kentucky veterans. In comparing the suicide rate of Kentucky veterans to the suicide rate of all Kentuckians, the difference is staggering—with Kentucky veterans’ rate at 41.3 and Kentucky’s total rate at 22.4," says the release.

Michael Stoyonovich, with the Kentucky unit of the Disabled American Veterans, asked the lawmakers to consider a bill to prevent veteran suicide that would strengthen and coordinate proven suicide prevention programs and connect more veterans and their families to mental-health services.

Stoyonovich shared statistics from the University of Kentucky College of Public Health: In 2017, 124 Kentucky veterans died by suicide; in 2018, 126; in 2019, 103; in 2020, 125; and in 2021, 111.

 

Rep. Pamela Stevenson at the June 21 Joint
Committee on Veterans, Military Affairs and 
Public Protection. (Legislative photo) 

Rep. Pamela Stevenson, a Democrat from Louisville who served in the Air Force for 27 years, called on Stoyonovich and the others who spoke to hold the lawmakers accountable. 

"We can pass legislation," she said. " If we don't pass this legislation to stop veterans from killing themselves, then all we've done is made it a bumper sticker.  . . . Everyone here has said they believe in what you said . . . everyone that's testified. Now it's time for you to call us and say, 'Where's the legislation?' We've proven we could get something done in an hour on the floor. Let's get this done in an hour on the floor."

Juan Renaud, the deputy commissioner of the state Department of Veterans Affairs, shared data from Kentucky's Community Mental Health Centers that shows the need in Kentucky is great. In Fiscal Year 2022, which ended last June 30, the centers served 2,372 veteran and active-duty personnel; 601 of them were active and 1,771 were veterans.

He also told the members that a 2012 study found higher rates of suicidal ideas and behaviors among National Guard members after deployment (31 per 100,000) than among actives (20.2) or reserves (24).

Rep. Steve Bratcher, R-Elizabethtown, who is in the Guard, said one reason could be that states are relying on Guard members to do so much more than their monthly commitment, especially in Kentucky with its Covid-19 response, riots, tornadoes and flooding. And on top of that, he said they hold regular jobs.

"I don't think that people realize the challenges that it takes on you personally," he said. "So that's why you probably see a difference in the amount of increase in suicides in the National Guard; they do reserve and active duty." 

Retired Brig. Gen. Steven P. Bullard, who works with the Kentucky Commission on Military Affairs, talked about how hard it is to return to the community after serving in the military.

“I went from commanding a combat squadron during Iraqi Freedom to being with my family in Walt Disney World 48 hours later—and it was the single worst experience I ever went through in my entire life, I can’t tell you how terrible it was for me," he said. "You come back as a guardsman. . . . You’re released back into your community … and you're not in that cocoon any longer and you’re with people who just don’t understand.”

Matt Castor, vice-president of government and corporate relations with USA Cares, a national organization headquartered in Louisville, said his organization works to remove some of the triggers of veteran suicides, like housing, financial struggles and transitioning into a career and that he, like the other organizations who help veterans, needed more funding.

"Simply put, we need your help," he said. "We are looking at the highest number of veterans coming to us this year than we've ever had in 20 years."

Castor said when they started the organization 20 years ago they were largely helping veterans with physical injuries from the war in Iraq, but since those needs have changed.

"Over the last 20 years, those needs have transitioned and we deal now with more of the invisible injuries of post-traumatic stress and traumatic brain injury," he said. "And as we do that, we've realized a few things . . . we may not be able to stop a suicide directly but we may be able to eliminate the factors that push somebody to make that type of terrible decision." 

Castor said in 2022 they received 224 applications for assistance, but could only help 15.3% of them due to a lack of funds. He said it cost about $4,000 per family to stop eviction from their home or foreclosure. He also talked about helping veterans with their car payments, noting that this allows them to take care of their families and get to their jobs.

"These are all triggers. These have a direct and profound impact on these families, that if we don't address these particular issues, then this rate will continue," he said. 

Also at the meeting were representatives for Project Diehard, which provides a respite for struggling veterans, and Check A Vet, a program that calls on people to become educated about suicide and prevention and to meaningfully and routinely engage with veterans. This program is also working on a veteran peer-to-peer pilot program in Kentucky.

Meet some of the Kentuckians answering the new 988 crisis line: they're first responders driven by empathy

Sunshine Randolph, an engagement specialist for New Vista in Lexington, answers calls to the 988 suicide prevention line. (Kentucky Lantern photo by Carter Skaggs)

This story discusses suicide. If you or someone you know is contemplating suicide, please call or text the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 988.

By Sarah Ladd
Kentucky Lantern

When Sunshine Randolph was an undergraduate student, her stepfather died by suicide.

“It really does kind of rock your world,” she said of the experience, which drew her to work in suicide prevention. “I know what it can do to a family.”

Randolph now answers 988, the suicide prevention lifeline in Kentucky, for the Lexington-based New Vista. She draws on her personal experience to help people get through some of their most challenging moments.

“We kind of have these backgrounds in psychology,” said Randolph, whose bachelor's degree is in psychology. “We maybe are more familiar with (mental health) – but experiencing it is something a little different.”

Still, she tries to empathize while not projecting her own experiences on others. “No one death by suicide or or suicidal ideation is the same,” she said.

Calls and texts to the crisis hotline rose after 988 launched in July 2022, replacing a 10-digit number. Experts said the simplification of the lifeline would save more lives.

Gov. Andy Beshear said in January that overall, the state saw a 26% increase in calls to 988 in the second half of 2022, with fewer calls dropped as well.

There were 708 more communications in August that year — the month after the launch — than in June, state data shows.

There were 646 crisis text messages from Kentuckians from January and June of 2022, the Lantern previously reported. Then, after 988 launched, that jumped to 2,286 crisis messages — an increase of 254%.

In February, 727 texts and 634 calls came in, according to a Cabinet for Health and Family Services report. In the past year, there was a 30% increase in Kentucky-based calls overall.

People who answer the line said that since the launch of 988, calls have expanded beyond suicidality. Sometimes, people are calling 988 just to talk and de-stress at the end of the day or middle of the night.

Roughly 138 Kentuckians answer the crisis line at Kentucky’s 13 participating call centers.

In March, there were 112 full-time and 26 part-time employees answering 988, according to estimates from Kentucky’s chapter of Mental Health of America.

Those Kentuckians spend their shifts saving lives behind the scenes. They also, sometimes, just listen.

Marcie Timmerman, the executive director for MHAKY, said the folks who answer 988, which was first proposed in 2019, are “first responders.”

“They’re really the first people who can respond to a mental health crisis,” Timmerman said. “They’re really crucial to the system.”

Driven by empathy

Randolph isn’t alone in pulling from personal experiences to help others who call or text 988.

Her colleague, Abby King, grew up hearing her mother advocate for mental health. That’s because before she was born, her grandmother died by suicide.

“Suicide” and “mental health” were “vocabulary words that I knew from a very, very young age,” the Bowling Green woman said. “So I think that that may have just made me more compassionate and understanding to the world at a really young age.”

King never got to meet her grandmother, but said she’s always had compassion for her, which she tries to extend to people who call the line.

That’s also made her anxious on some calls. “I know that suicide is real and does happen,” she said. “No one’s immune to it.”

It’s also difficult, once a call is over, to let go. Many times, King and Randolph said, they don’t know what happened with a caller once they hang up.

“I definitely think to myself, ‘how did this turn out?’” Randolph said. “You have to have hope and faith in the system … but yeah, I think about certain or really impactful, emotional calls all the time.”

The most important thing when taking a 988 call or text is to make sure the person reaching out is safe and feels heard, answerers say.

“The number-one priority is making sure they’re safe in that moment,” said Randolph.

Responders will balance listening to a caller vent while doing a risk assessment to see if the caller has hurt themself or plans to, if they have a suicide plan, and more.

“We have processes and protocols, like the risk assessment and then safety planning,” King explained. “But really, it’s just that natural human interaction that makes the call successful.”

Once the caller is safe and hangs up, responders may need to decompress and process what they’ve just heard.

King keeps her workspace calm, she said, for that reason. She may have essential oils or incense out or keep a virtual fireplace crackling on her TV.

Sometimes, decompressing is as simple as walking outside and feeling cool air on her cheeks.

“It can be as simple as taking a step outside, letting my dogs out,” Randolph added. “Touch the grass so to speak. Just making sure I’m reminding myself that I’m doing good work is really important. And a good face mask never hurt anyone after shift.”

 

Holliss Williamson at River Valley Behavioral Health
in Owensboro (Photo by Arden Barnes via Kentucky Lantern)

Holliss Williamson, a triage specialist in River Valley Behavioral Health in Owensboro, said she turns to her coworkers for support after especially difficult calls.

Her team of eight fills in for each other when one needs a mental health day or to just walk away from the desk for a while. They each know the toll crisis response can take on a person.

“We take secondary traumatic stress, vicarious trauma and burnout very seriously,” said her coworker Gerrimy Keiffer, a social worker at River Valley. “Working a crisis line is incredibly stressful because, in some cases, you don’t know if that person actually got help or if they got better when that phone call ends.”

River Valley crisis workers also have access to an app called Heroes Health, which lets them track their mental health and access resources.

King said she compartmentalizes her feelings while on calls.

“While I’m on the call, my main priority is to make sure that they’re safe. And that’s the perspective I try to keep to keep me calm throughout the call, even if I’m … even relating to some of the pain that they’re talking about,” she said. “It’s just reminding myself that I’m currently in a safe environment, and they’re not. So I have to make sure to provide that safety.”

A self-care action plan can also help when dealing with a lot of trauma. That can include asking:

• What brings me joy?
• What helps me reset?
• Am I getting tense?
• Am I having trouble breathing?

The effect of Covid-19 and anti-LGBTQ laws

The Covid-19 pandemic, Keiffer said, has “caused a lot of stress and unsurety” among the community, resulting in more calls to crisis lines.

“Combine that with loss of jobs for many, unstable employment, unstable economic environment that we’re entering right now, as well as a lot of the political and cultural strife we’re experiencing,” he said. “Within the last few months, we’ve also seen an uptick in individuals experiencing issues related to gender identity and LGBT concerns.”

He pointed to legislation targeting transgender Kentuckians as being a stressor for many.

River Valley has also seen an uptick in calls from youth, particularly those re-entering a public school setting after learning at home for so long because of the pandemic.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported in February that more young girls are feeling depressed.

Almost 60% of teenage girls “felt persistently sad or hopeless in 2021,” the CDC said. About 30% of teenage boys felt that way. Teens in the LGBTQ+ community suffered “ongoing and extreme distress.”

The CDC also reported that about 1 in 3 teen girls seriously considered attempting suicide in 2021.

“Add on the stressors that normally would be experienced as a youth like bullying, the anxiety of tests and just your own interpersonal issues, and then we throw on top of that the emotional triggers that you deal with that are exclusive to living during a pandemic, and that kind of unsurety,” Keiffer said. “It’s very difficult for kids, especially because that ability to emotionally regulate hasn’t fully formed. It is absolutely a concern.”

 
Will the police get involved if I call 988?

Several folks who answer 988 in Kentucky said police would be involved only as a last resort. For example, police may be called if a person admits to having a weapon and wanting to harm others.

Keeping everyone safe can be a balancing act.

“We don’t want to criminalize mental health,” Keiffer said. “If (people are) experiencing a mental health challenge, I want them to feel secure and safe to reach out for help.”

“Involving law enforcement immediately makes that person feel more stressed out,” Keiffer explained. “Having a police officer knock at your door when you’re having, for many, the worst moment in their life … we want to avoid that if we can.”

No wrong door

People who answer 988 aren’t just there to save lives. They provide an anonymous listening ear for people who just need to vent or maybe don’t have a support system.

“You can’t get to the saving,” Randolph explained, “without first listening to the client.”

They’re also focused on getting everyday resources to people in need. They may help a caller find food banks or places that can help with rent or housing. Lacking transportation or internet access, too, can lead to suicidal ideation. For teenagers, it’s often an issue of parents not supporting them or listening to them.

At River Valley in Owensboro, staff can direct callers to gambler’s addiction help, a sexual assault support line and more.

Basically, there is “no wrong door,” Keiffer said.

“I think of 988 as suicide prevention, but also a helping line,” Randolph said. “If you call me I might be able to connect you with several different things all at once or give you resources and advice on where to get those things.”

‘Please don’t prank-call 988’

Several 988 responders said they get prank calls, often from kids.

“I kind of just laugh a little bit,” King said, “because it comes from a place of: ‘I’m happy that these resources are available now.’”

Still, experts say mental health should be taken seriously.

“Mental health is not something we joke about,” said Timmerman, of Kentucky’s chapter of Mental Health of America.

So: “Please don’t prank-call 988.”

In the 2024 legislative session — a budget year — Kentucky’s chapter of Mental Health of America and the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention will be asking the General Assembly to allocate general fund dollars to 988.

“We need to fund” 988, Timmerman said, “as equally as we do 911.”

Just start with hello

Beyond funding, crisis workers say they need more awareness of the 988 number and education surrounding stigma.

“We’ve taken callers who were leery about even calling in,” Williamson said. “even some callers will hang up because … there’s a stigma … or they just don’t feel comfortable and never had to address their issues in that way.”

Some also recommended embedding social workers with police so when they do have to respond, trained mental health professionals are on hand.

Keiffer said if you don’t know where to start when calling 988, just start with hello. And: “If you don’t feel comfortable calling right away, that’s okay,” he said. “But do try again.”

988 suicide-and-crisis lifeline is free and available to anyone in crisis; calls have increased 23% since launch nine months ago

By Melissa Patrick

Kentucky Health News

Kentucky calls to 988, the short, easy-to-remember crisis hotline for mental health, have increased by 23% since it rolled out nine months ago, and there have been 15% fewer abandoned calls, according to Gov. Andy Beshear.

"More people are calling and more people are staying on and talking to someone that can help," Beshear said at his weekly news conference Thursday. "This means Kentuckians facing a risk of suicide, mental-health distress or an addiction crisis are getting connected with compassionate trained counselors more often and faster than ever before. "

988 is confidential and accepts calls, texts, and chats from anyone who needs support for a suicidal, mental-health and/or substance-use crisis.

It is available 24 hours a day, every day and is free of charge. It is available to people of all ages in crisis, and to family members and loved ones seeking guidance. 

"Our first mission is to be here," says Kentucky's 988 website. "So often, the lifeline is about listening and providing an understanding voice. In fact, 95% of lifeline calls are resolved over the phone. But when that’s not enough, we’ll ensure the warmest possible handoff of 988 callers within Kentucky’s crisis service system." 

Most of Kentucky's 988 calls go to one of the state's 13 regional mental-health agencies; callers are connected to the center that is closest to them. 

According to state data from the federal Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, Kentucky's 988 call centers got 2,888 calls in March and 78% of them were answered in-state. 

SAMHSA says Kentucky calls are answered, on average, in 25 seconds, The national average is 35 seconds and the average talk time is just over 13 minutes.

"That shows that 988 is working and has been a great improvement," said Beshear. "I want to thank all of our partners and mental health advocates across the state and beyond who have worked so hard to make this possible. This administration will always support Kentuckians as they seek health care. We believe that mental health is just as important as physical health, and this is helping us to be able to intervene and ensure that we don't lose people."

Since the 988 suicide and crisis lifeline launched in July, calls from Kentucky numbers have gone up 26% and texts by 401%

By Melissa Patrick
Kentucky Health News

In the six months since the new, easy-to-remember 988 suicide and crisis lifeline launched, calls have increased 26 percent, Gov. Andy Beshear said Thursday. 

Beshear said at his regular weekly news conference that the "mental health version of 911" is designed to connect people in a mental health emergency with someone who is specifically trained to help them. 

Since the new number launched in July 2022, Beshear said trained counselors have responded to an average of 2,450 calls per month. 

“That means that since 988 has been instituted, we’ve had a 26 percent increase in calls per month in comparison to the first half of 2022,” he said.

Susan Dunlap, a spokeswoman for the Cabinet for Health and Family Services, told Kentucky Health News in an email that text messages have also increased. She said there had been 646 suicide hotline texts from a Kentucky-based phone number in the first half of the year, and 3,238 in the six months since 988 was launched, a 401% increase. 

The new line is proving its value in other ways. Beshear said there has been a 14% decrease in abandoned calls and 92% of Kentucky's 13 participating call centers have answered calls in less than 20 seconds. 

"You don't want to have somebody on hold when they're going through a mental-health crisis," he said. "This is great news. It means the 988 helpline is working." 

Beshear encouraged Kentuckians struggling with a mental health crisis to use this resource. 

"Remember, it's OK to not be OK, right? We all go through difficult times and sometimes we go through trauma that our bodies and our minds are not designed to take, that nobody could handle no matter how strong we are. So please reach out. These are people who have trained and who have helped other people, that are ready to help you through your most difficult time," he said.

"I mean, let me tell you, you got people out there that love you, whether it feels like it or not, they love you. They want you to be with them the next day, and the next year, and the next decade. So if you need that help, please dial 988, no stigma, no shame, just a community and a commonwealth that loves you, and wants you to get the help that you need."

New VA policy is expected to save some Ky. veterans by providing free emergency mental-health care to all vets, even if not enrolled

By Sarah Ladd
Kentucky Lantern

This story discusses suicide. If you or someone you know is contemplating suicide, please call or text the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 988. Veterans and service members calling 988 can press 1 for specific crisis help from the Veterans Crisis Line.

Combat veteran Jeremy Harrell founded
Veteran’s Club, based in the Louisville
area, and advocates for mental health.
(Photo courtesy of Jeremy Harrell)

Once a veteran has decided to take their own life, “every minute counts,” said Army combat veteran Jeremy Harrell.

That’s why he believes a new federal policy aimed at decreasing veteran suicides through free emergency mental health care will be “an actual lifesaver” for Kentucky, which is home to about 370,000 veterans. It’s unclear how many of those aren’t enrolled in the Department for Veterans Affairs health-care system. Up to 9 million could benefit nationwide.

The new policy went into effect Jan. 17. It bypasses VA's enrollment rules, which Harrell said have kept some veterans from enrolling, Harrell said.

The policy allows veterans – both those enrolled in the VA system and those who are not – can go to any health-care facility – VA or non-VA – to get free emergency mental-health care in the case of a suicide crisis.

Enrollment in the VA system is open to veterans who served 24 continuous months or their entire active-duty stretch. The minimum-duty rule doesn't apply to those discharged because active duty caused or worsened a disability, and those who served before Sept. 7, 1980. 

The new, free emergency care includes 30 days of inpatient or residential care and outpatient care for up to 90 days, says the VA.

“This is a really, really big step in the right direction when it comes to veteran suicide,” said Harrell, who founded Veteran’s Club, based in the Louisville area, and advocates for mental health through a variety of organizations.

The new access also makes his job as an advocate easier, he said. He always recommends the suicide prevention lifeline, 988, to folks who call him in crisis. But in the past he also had to ask a series of eligibility questions to find out how to help the person. That takes up precious time.

“The clock is ticking,” Harrell said. “What we know is that when a person makes the decision, particularly in the veteran community, to take their own life … every minute counts.”

Now, help is simpler. Call or text 988. Or, he said, “find your way to the nearest emergency room.”

In 2020, there were 119 veteran suicides in Kentucky, up from 100 in 2019, according to the VA. Data for 2021 and 2022 is not yet available. Harrell said he’s aware of six Kentucky veterans who died by suicide since November.

“It’s heartbreaking to know,” he said, “how many lives that we may have lost because of the bureaucracy.”

Who is eligible?

Eligibility criteria for this program are, according to the VA: 

• Veterans who were discharged or released from active duty after more than 24 months of active service under conditions other than dishonorable.
• Former members of the armed forces, including reserve service members, who served more than 100 days under a combat exclusion or in support of a contingency operation either directly or by operating an unmanned aerial vehicle from another location who were discharged under conditions other than dishonorable.
• Former members of the armed forces who were the victim of a physical assault of a sexual nature, a battery of a sexual nature, or sexual harassment while serving in the armed forces

Are there enough mental health professionals in Kentucky?

Kentucky has a shortage of mental-health-care providers, according to the Health Resources & Services Administration. In fact, 2022 data from the Rural Health Information Hub showed every single Kentucky county as a mental health shortage area.

That’s “very much a concern” for Harrell, he said, pointing to pandemic-induced burnout as a culprit and the need for more social workers.

Private entities also need to be trained in military lingo so they can best communicate with veterans who come in, he said.

But for now: “My hope is that, if nothing else, (hospital staff) can help stabilize the individual, putting eyes on the individual, and at least try to support them, because that’s a big part of it.”