(Toronto) The Center for Addiction and Mental Health says responders have received more than 300,000 calls and texts since the launch of the national 988 helpline a year ago.
Published yesterday at 3:17 p.m.
Nicole Ireland
The Canadian Press
The Dre Allison Crawford, the helpline’s chief medical officer, says people with suicidal thoughts or other mental health concerns can get help 24 hours a day, seven days a week, no matter where they live in Canada.
She expects call and text volume to increase as more people become aware of the service.
The Dre Crawford says it’s critical that responders respond to calls or texts quickly so people who need help don’t give up.
The average wait time in October was 44 seconds for phone calls and one minute and 47 seconds for text messages – a response time that Mme Crawford says he continually works to improve.
Calls and texts are routed to the nearest available responder so they can help people find more resources in their local community if they need additional help.
The Center for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH) runs the helpline, working with more than 2,000 responders from 38 community organizations across the country.
Slinder Bhatti, executive director of Chimo Community Services in Richmond, British Columbia, supervises between seven and 12 responders on the helpline, depending on scheduled call and text patterns.
She said the need for help tends to increase at certain times, especially as the holiday season approaches.
Mme Bhatti recalled that the 988 line is intended for anyone in difficulty, specifying that some people call or text several times.
“We will not refuse anyone,” she insisted.
The 988 helpline launched on November 30, 2023, with $177 million in funding from the Public Health Agency of Canada for the first three years of the program, according to CAMH.
The Canadian Press’s medical coverage is supported by a partnership with the Canadian Medical Association. The Canadian Press is solely responsible for this content.
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