U.S. Suicide & Crisis Lifeline Accessible by Dialing 988

Starting July 16

Since 2005, the Lifeline (1-800-273-8255) has answered tens of millions of calls to help people overcome mental health-related distress. The new three-digit dialing code 988, available via call or text, will start connecting individuals to trained counselors on July 16. Chat is also available online at www.suicidepreventionlifeline.org.  

Using 988 is free, confidential and available 24/7. It is more than just an easy-to-remember number — it’s a direct connection to compassionate, accessible counselors who will listen to concerns, provide support, and get additional help if needed. 

The 988 dialing code is just a first step toward strengthening and transforming crisis care in the U.S. It serves as a universal entry point so that no matter where you live, you can reach a trained crisis counselor who can help.

Roadmap College Webinar Series Continues

The Roadmap Project's six-month series designed to address patient and family emotional health continued with Webinar #2 on June 9.

Roadmap College brings together 16 clinical teams from the National Pediatric Cardiology Quality Improvement Collaborative (NPC-QIC) and the Fontan Outcomes Network (FON). In the second webinar, teams discussed how to identify resources and make them available.

Guest speaker Stacey Lihn is a parent of a child with Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome, Founder and President of Sisters by Heart, and NPC-QIC and FON Executive Leadership Team member. Stacey shared about the importance of making peer-to-peer connections, which is a key part of Sisters by Heart's work.

Stacey said, "people gravitate toward peer support because of its humanizing effect on our challenging health care system. And we love that it provides that personal connection to better understand physical and emotional impacts of chronic illness and it is 100% patient-centered . . . peer-to-peer supports looks different for everyone, but that feeling of validation and understanding by someone who has walked in your shoes -- we learn from each other and gain tools to live healthier lives as parents, patients, and siblings."

Dr. Jill Plevinsky is a Pediatric Psychologist at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia and Founder of the Improve Care Now Patient Advisory Committee. Developing a guide for finding resources for patients, families, and clinical teams, Jill highlighted five steps to take to get started:

1. Ask around for existing resources - you may not need to reinvent the wheel!
2. Organize your resource guide by audience
3. Include patient/parent partners in developing materials
4. Consider how you can keep your list updated
5. Test it out! And ask patients/and families if they were successful in using the resource

Learn more about how Roadmap can help you build a resource list below. Roadmap College continues with Webinar #3 later this month.

Roadmap Resource Highlight

Template: Developing a Resource List

Patients and parents working with The Roadmap Project have repeatedly stressed you don’t have to be a mental health professional to make a difference. Yet, sometimes families will need more support than a physician or subspecialty team can provide.

This tool was designed in collaboration with patients, parents, and clinicians to help you think through creating, updating, or expanding an existing list.

Click the link below to access the document to help you get started today.