The City of Lincoln has launched a new partnership between the Lincoln Emergency Communications Center and the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline operated by Boys Town. “This new partnership reflects the priority we place on mental health and ensures that anyone in our community who needs a lifeline gets one,” says Mayor Leirion Gaylor Baird. “Thanks to the work of our public safety professionals and state and community partners, that lifeline is now just a phone call away.”
Lincoln is the first city in Nebraska to establish the 911/988 partnership. It connects individuals in suicidal crisis or emotional distress directly to licensed crisis counselors at the 988 Lifeline. With this system in place, callers in need of immediate mental health support can access trained professionals without necessitating law enforcement intervention.
Previously, LPD officers were dispatched to all calls regarding callers in mental health crisis. LPD officers will continue to be available to respond if immediate law enforcement intervention is necessary.
Jessica Loos is the 911 Communications Coordinator and says over the last six months of 2023, the emergency center received nearly 6,000 mental health crisis calls that could have been assessed for possible transfer to a 988 counselor. “It remains our priority that community members who call 911 trust it will connect them to the right resource in their time of need. Through this partnership, we are able to recognize the critical role 988 plays in responding to mental health crises,” Loos says.
988 Nebraska Suicide and Crisis Lifeline Program Manager Kyle Kinney says since the 988 Lifeline became available in Nebraska in 2022, the service has received 42,000 calls.