By MIKE COURSON
Great Bend Post
Campaigns like Zero Reasons Why are trying to eliminate the stigma of mental illness. Various hotlines are available in the event of suicidal thoughts or a crisis. With Mental Health Awareness Day coming up next month, Tracie Haselhorst, crisis coordinator for the Center for Counseling and Consultation in Great Bend, reminds residents of various ways to seek help in a personal psychiatric emergency, including the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline.
"It's like 9-1-1," she said. "If you need help, there's 9-1-1. Now we have somewhere, 9-8-8. There's also texting so clients can text if they don't feel comfortable talking."
The 988 Lifeline was implemented nationwide in July 2022, and is a national network of local crisis centers that provides free and confidential emotional support 24/7.
The Center also has crisis services available 24/7. Staff is available Monday through Friday, but the Center also has services available after hours through its Health Integrated Solutions. After-hours calls to the facility will be rerouted to HIS, which can notify Center staff within hours or the next day.
"If they call 988, we will not get that information because they go by the phone numbers," Haselhorst explained. "If you live in Great Bend and you're a 913 number, they might think you're in Kansas City. If it's a 316 or 785, they go by that. If they call our HIS screening source, if they're assessed for a hospitalization, we get those emails after they're done, so we will know who called in crisis, even if they do a safety plan."
The Center also works to distribute crisis lifeline information, such as 988 fliers, to its community partners, including the Barton County Jail. The goal, Haselhorst said, is to remind everyone that help is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
Call The Center for Counseling 24/7 at (620) 792-2544 or (800) 875-2544.