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AUGUST 1, 2022
Suicide Awareness and 988
Coming to Indian Country: 988 and the
National Suicide Prevention Lifeline
Why do we need 988?
Suicide is the second leading cause of death for Native youth ages 10-24.
Native communities experience the highest rates of suicide amongst all racial
and ethnic groups in the Unites States, and suicide rates among American
Indian and Alaska Native communities rose by 118% between 1999 and 2017.
Suicide is preventable. 988 is one step in the direction of saving lives. This
early intervention can reduce the burden on 911 and hospital services. 988
will move mental health and substance use services out of the shadows and
into the mainstream; it will send a message that healing and getting help are
normal and important parts of life.
What is 988?
988 is a direct three-digit line to trained National Suicide Prevention Lifeline
crisis counselors that will go live July 16, 2022. With an easy to remember 3-
digit number, the Lifeline hopes to reach many more people in emotional
crisis. This service is provided free of charge to the caller. Any person of any
age can call or text 988; services will be available 24/7, year round. They will
include a text option, translation services for non-English speakers, accessible
options for people who are deaf or hard of hearing, and services for minors.
Contributed photos
Linfield University’s women’s lacrosse.
In April, the Grand Ronde Health & Wellness Center Behavioral Health
Program was humbled to work alongside Chemeketa Community College’s
women’s softball and Linfield University’s women’s lacrosse in sponsoring
a Suicide Awareness Game.
We want to acknowledge Klamath Henry, Chemeketa Community Col-
lege women’s softball coach, and Mike Henry, Linfield University women’s
lacrosse assistant coach, and Agency Creek Expressions for helping us
support these efforts. We feel that events like these help bring light to the
devastating effects of suicide on families and our communities.
In July, a new three digit number 988 replaced the National Suicide
Prevention hotline and is available nationwide for anyone to seek behav-
ioral health crisis services. In addition to 988, you can text NATIVE to
741741 for immediate help.
Please see all of the additional information we’ve provided on our Health
& Wellness Center Facebook page as well as in Smoke Signals.
When you’ve got a police, fire, or rescue emergency, you call 911.
When you have a mental health emergency, you call/text 988.
How will this affect my community?
The impact of 988 will vary from community to community. If your
community has reliable phone and 911 services, it will now have access to
988 24/7. Community members will be able to receive confidential services
during mental health emergencies with minimal involvement of police or
hospitals. If you live in an area where connecting to 911 services is difficult,
you may experience the same with 988. Please know that chatting via the
suicidepreventionlifeline.org website, texting NATIVE to the Crisis Text Line
at 741741, or texting 988 when available may be the best ways to connect in
these communities.
REV. 03/2022
Chemeketa Community College’s women’s softball.
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