HENDERSON (KTNV) — Henderson will soon become the first city in the state to dispatch licensed behavioral and mental health professionals directly to people who call the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline.
According to the City of Henderson, about 10% to 20% of all 911 calls are behavioral health-related, which equates to about 24 million calls annually.
To address this, the city's Crisis Response Team began responding to 911 calls with mental or behavioral health impacts this year.
WATCH | Henderson will dispatch mental health professionals for 988 calls
The team consists of seven people, including five clinicians and two navigators. The clinicians include licensed clinical social workers, licensed marriage and family therapists, and licensed alcohol and drug counselors. The navigators provide case management support for clients.
The team does more than just respond to the scene. They work with individuals moving forward by setting up treatment plans and meeting with them as often as needed for their case.
Lisa Kelso is the clinical supervisor over the Crisis Response Team in Henderson.
“Right now our team is self-dispatching to 9-1-1 calls,” Kelso said.
It is unclear exactly when the team will begin responding to 988 calls, but officials say it will happen later this year.
“If the call is not resolved on the phone with a 9-8-8 counselor, we will be the first team to be dispatched directly from 9-8-8 to help that individual in crisis,” Kelso said.
“We can complete suicide assessments, diagnosing, treatment recommendations,” Kelso said.
Despite the lifeline's availability, many residents are unaware of it. I spoke to more than 12 people who did not know it existed, but wish they had heard of it earlier.
Cindy Ginsberg has lived in Henderson with her husband for more than 30 years. She was happy to hear about the 988 lifeline, but had never heard of it before I spoke with her.
"I think that’s wonderful. Anything for suicide prevention or when someone is in crisis, I think that’s wonderful,” Ginsberg said.
"I lost a family member to suicide, so yeah I think it's a wonderful thing," Ginsberg shared.
Marcus Chapman moved to Henderson one year ago.
“I didn’t know about 9-8-8, I didn’t know that Henderson was going to have one of the pioneers of it,” Chapman said.
"I've lost a few friends, some were veterans, some were just had a hard time in life," Chapman said.
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