as the new 988 suicide and crisis Lifeline marks one year in operation an increasing number of people are using the hotline but a study from the National Alliance on Mental Illness shows many Americans still don't know about the 988 number senior correspondent Joanna gagas reports from one of the state's call centers since 988 launched calls in New Jersey have increased by nearly 22 percent the state's 988 Lifeline centers are getting between 4 500 to 5 000 calls a month it's been one year since the national crisis hotline 988 launched here in New Jersey the Department of Human Services held a panel discussion today to hear feedback from some of the folks who handle those crisis calls to better understand what supports they need as they help those who might be ready to take their own life additional resources to be able to provide additional training for more counselors additional ongoing learning for counselors that we already have it's very important work but it can be emotionally taxing for us so I think first and foremost being able to have the staff and the people who are there to pick up these calls and support these people um and you know avoid that burnout um so we have that time to decompress opposed to you know call after call when it's super busy support to get us where they can get some counseling and therapy appointments quickly and in their Community those requests heard directly by Department of Human Services commissioner Sarah Edelman who facilitated the conversation and outlined some of the next priorities for 988. the next part of our system is to um is to also build mobile response so that when there is someone who may need some additional in-person support we have the sort of functionality and capability to respond to people that way right now only about 85 percent of the crisis calls that come into call centers are answered here in New Jersey that means the Overflow goes to backup call centers that aren't local so the state's putting some real money behind expanding its capacity we are investing through the Department of Human Services 10 million dollars to help 988 Lifeline centers increase staff and expand technology so they can manage the increased volume of calls chats and texts this is in addition to the 3.7 million dollars in federal funding that centers have received since the transition to 988. one of the state's five call centers contact of Mercer County is able to communicate with people in crisis via chats and texts that come through 988 which is allowing them to reach younger people a group that's increasingly in crisis I remember my first chat I met with someone who was being bullied and harassed and wanted to take their life because they were they were being bullied about their sexual identity I think especially for young people it's so important because they feel it's more Anonymous and they feel it's more confidential and so they are they're much more familiar with technology versus picking up a phone and actually speaking and I think especially with with the crisis for young people it's so important that they have a friendly medium for them and important they know it's there for them when they need it the state's launching a three million dollar public awareness campaign so more people know there's someone on the other line who cares for NJ Spotlight news I'm Joanna Gagis [Music] [Music]