Experts say 988 needs to be robust After national crisis line launches, advocates call for expanded resources

By MAIA PANDEY daily senior staffer @maiapandey

By FIONA ROACH daily senior staffer @fionaroach03

Throughout his 31 years at Northwestern, chemistry Prof. Chad Mirkin

— a field in which individuals study materials smaller than 100 nanometers — is just a 42-year-old industry, according to National Geographic.

“One of the fundamental

Before the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline launched nationally last July, experts often dubbed it 911 for mental health crises: a short, easy-toremember emergency number that any person could phone.

Seven months after 988 went live, advocates and mental health professionals say the crisis line is a significant step in expanding mental health services. However, they also say the crisis line still needs more local staffing and services to become a robust mental health care resource — including in Evanston and Cook County. When someone calls 988, they can connect with a trained crisis counselor. But if a situation calls for an inperson response, the operator can refer the call to a local mobile crisis service. The 988 lifeline currently operates six call centers in Illinois, only one of them in Cook County.

In a July 2022 release, Illinois officials emphasized the significance of the launch as the COVID-19 pandemic has continually eroded people’s mental health. Suicide is the 11th leading cause of death in Illinois and the third among people ages 15 to 34, according to the release.

Though 988 is meant to mirror 911, the crisis line aims to avoid sending police responders to mental health crisis calls.

“988 will help people across

» See 988, page 10