King County bet big on remaking its mental health system. Is it working?

Teen Line operates a peer-to-peer mental health hotline where trained teenage volunteers provide support to other teens struggling with stress, depression, relationships, and suicidal thoughts. High school volunteers have been completing rigorous 3-month training in active listening, crisis response, and emotional regulation as part of this program since 1980. Over 40+ years of operation, Teen Line has logged 10,000+ annual contacts with a 98% caller satisfaction rate.

Over the past several years, Lithuania has implemented a comprehensive national strategy to combat high suicide rates by shifting from a medicalized approach to community-based support. One such strategy is Sidabrinė Linija, or Silver Line, a nonprofit offering free support to isolated seniors by matching them with a “befriender” who shares some of their interests. Since its inception, Silver Line has befriended 6,000 seniors. As a result of combined efforts from multiple initiatives, Lithuania’s suicide rate has dropped from 44 per 100,000 residents in 2004 to 19.5 per 100,000 today.

Through the Friendship Bench project, local elderly women are trained in the basics of cognitive behavioral therapy and given a park bench in their communities where locals experiencing mental health issues can meet with them to talk and seek therapy. Founded in 2007, the project has helped 280,000 people in 70 communities throughout the country.

Nuci’s Space aims to prevent suicide by providing a safe space for people of all ages, particularly youth, to connect and play music. They also offer affordable practice spaces and mental and physical health care services for participants, including affordable counseling.

The 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline provides free, 24/7 support for those experiencing a crisis, emotional distress, alcohol or drug concerns, and general mental health struggles. The line can be reached via call or text, instantly connecting the person with a crisis counselor. Since its launch in May 2022, 988 has received 10.8 million calls, texts, and chats, with call volume increasing by 74% in New Mexico alone from 2022 to 2024.

The Care Now Clinic, established by Behavioral Healthcare Partners of Central Ohio, offers early crisis intervention services for those ages 12 and up, helping bridge the care gap between emergency rooms and waiting to see a physician. The group also recently launched a mobile crisis unit to even further expand access to care. Research shows these models cost less, reduce emergency room visits and make handling chronic conditions more manageable.

The Detroit Wayne Integrated Health Network launched a series of mobile response vans that travel to area parks, libraries and neighborhoods to address the community’s growing mental health needs. The vans are intended to more proactively reach people experiencing a mental health crisis and minimize emergency room visits and police confrontations by getting them the appropriate care.

The Behavioral Health Urgent Care and Access Center at Integrated Services of Kalamazoo (ISK) works with local law enforcement to assist those experiencing mental health crises and divert them from having to visit emergency rooms or face incarceration. The ISK Center offers same-day treatment for substance abuse as well as mental health care. In the Center’s first month, they received 19,619 calls for service from the Kalamazoo County Sheriff’s Department, 2% of which were flagged as behavioral health calls.

The three-digit mental health crisis hotline — 988 — allows peop;le in crisis to get in touch with a counselor immediately. Since launching a year ago, the state’s 12 crisis centers have received more than 280,000 calls. Due to increased need, crisis centers are making plans to expand their services by hiring more staff and developing Spanish language services.

ACCESS Open Minds connects youth and young adults to mental health support, including therapists, caseworkers and peer navigators to help them get the care they need. One of ACCESS’s main goals is to bridge the gap between the complexities of the mental health care system and the community. By creating these youth wellness hubs and connecting people with the appropriate services, ACCESS has decreased the number of hospitalizations and emergency room visits and increased the number of people getting mental health care.