988 is the national suicide and crisis response line, and in New York City, 988 links to NYC WELL. The number of New Yorkers using 988 to find mental health resources and request crisis response teams continues to grow annually. <a href="https://legistar.council.nyc.gov/LegislationDetail.aspx?ID=7928986&GUID=499520B7-8654-4286-8B3E-7256401E6430" target="_blank">Intro 0741 </a>would create a task force to measure 988’s success in New York and make recommendations to improve 988. The bill would also create an educational campaign to help New Yorkers identify symptoms of mental illness and how to accurately explain a mental health emergency.&nbsp;
Intro 0741 would open the door for improving support for indviduals dealing with mental health crises. Through the task force’s analysis of its current procedures, recommendations for improvement could be made for crisis team protocols, call-taker scripts, and more. The educational campaign will build public knowledge of mental illness and how to seek New York City mental health resources through 988 and more. Email your Council Member to let them know we need support for this bill!

I am writing to urge you to sign in support of Intro 0741, the 988 Task Force and Education Campaign.  

Intro 0741 would create a task force to make recommendations to improve 988 call-taker scripts, crisis team protocols, and the metric system used to measure 988’s success in New York City. The Education Campaign would teach New Yorkers how to recognize the symptoms of mental illness, how to accurately describe a mental health situation, and asses risk of harm. 

This bill is essential to improving 988 and connecting more New Yorkers with mental health supports. New Yorkers deserve to know their options when calling for help for themselves and others. 

Thank you for your time and I hope you will positively support Intro 0741 this session.

988 Reporting Bill