ANNAPOLIS, Md., May 17, 2024
/PRNewswire/ -- The American Foundation for Suicide
Prevention (AFSP), a leading suicide prevention organization
in the United States, applauds the
Maryland General Assembly and Governor Moore for passing and
signing into law SB 974/HB 933: Behavioral
Health Crisis Response Services - 988 Trust Fund
Fees. This critical new law establishes a sustainable
source of state funding for the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline in
Maryland.
Since the 988 Lifeline transitioned to the current 3-digit
"9-8-8" number in July 2022, contact
centers in Maryland and nationwide
continue to experience significant increases in demand for their
services. In passing SB 974/HB 933, Maryland now joins eight other
states nationwide in sustainably funding 988 Lifeline services
via a small monthly fee on phone bills. More states must follow
suit to ensure 988 Lifeline operations nationwide can meet
increased service demand and truly provide all residents with
someone to call, someone to respond, and somewhere safe to go.
The 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline, available by calling or
texting 988 or chatting at 988lifeline.org/chat, connects
individuals experiencing a suicidal, mental health, or substance
use crisis, or those worried about someone else, to a national
network of state and local crisis contact centers. These centers
provide free and confidential behavioral health crisis care
24/7/365 via phone, text, or chat and link individuals to in-person
crisis care or wraparound services as needed. Services offered
through the 988 Lifeline, including the crisis contact centers,
mobile crisis response services, and crisis receiving and
stabilization centers, are funded largely by individual states and
localities through state appropriations, grants, and private
donations. Federal funding also goes toward the 988 Lifeline but
most of those dollars support nationwide Lifeline infrastructure,
call routing, and technical assistance versus being distributed to
individual states.
"In the eight years that AFSP Maryland has been advocating at
the state level, the passage of SB 974/HB 933 has the
potential to have the most direct and positive effect in saving
lives and improving suicide prevention and crisis response services
here in Maryland. Maryland now has a self-sustaining permanent
source of funding for crisis services that is independent of the
budget process and will not be subject to budget cuts or deficits,
but rather is funded by Marylanders directly through an affordable
25 cent per line per month telecom
fee," said Sue Maskaleris,
AFSP-Maryland Chapter advocacy ambassador.
Introduced by Maryland State
Senator Guy Guzzone and Delegate Jessica
Feldmark, along with 27 House cosponsors, SB 974/HB 933 adds
a 25-cent monthly fee to phone bills
in Maryland, which goes directly
to the state's 988 Trust Fund (established last year). This fee
will generate approximately $15-20
million annually for crisis services rendered through the 988
Lifeline for Marylanders. AFSP thanks these leaders for making 988
funding a top priority and seeing this critical bill through to
enactment.
Advocates with the AFSP Maryland Chapter (AFSP-MD) are
part of a larger national movement of AFSP volunteer advocates
working with public officials across the
United States to bring best practices in suicide prevention
to public officials and their staff. AFSP-MD supported SB 974/HB
933 along with many other mental health and suicide prevention
organizations participating in the FundMD988 Campaign, under the
leadership of Behavioral Health System Baltimore. AFSP-MD sincerely
thanks the Behavioral Health System Baltimore and our partners in
the FundMD988 Campaign for their leadership and tenacity in pushing
for the bill's passage. The campaign's coalition of advocates
offered key leadership on and support of SB 974/HB 933 leading up
to and throughout the legislative session and continue to advocate
for robust behavioral health crisis services across Maryland.
Volunteer Advocates from AFSP-MD will join advocates from around
the country in Washington, D.C.
for AFSP's annual Advocacy Forum in June. Advocates meet with
their members of Congress and Congressional staff to share their
stories and urge support for AFSP's federal priorities. This year's
Advocacy Forum is focused on advancing efforts to enhance the 988
Lifeline and crisis response services nationwide.
To learn more about AFSP's advocacy efforts in support of the
988 Lifeline, visit here: https://afsp.org/988.
The American Foundation for Suicide Prevention is dedicated
to saving lives and bringing hope to those affected by suicide,
including those who have experienced a loss. AFSP creates a
culture that's smart about mental health through public education
and community programs, develops suicide prevention through
research and advocacy, and provides support for those affected by
suicide. Led by CEO Robert Gebbia
and headquartered in New York,
with a public policy office in Washington, DC, AFSP has local chapters in all
50 states, DC and Puerto Rico,
with programs and events nationwide. Learn more about AFSP in its
latest Annual Report and join the conversation on suicide
prevention by following AFSP
on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, LinkedIn and TikTok.
Please fill out this press request form with media
inquiries and review AFSP's Ethical Reporting Tips.
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SOURCE American Foundation for Suicide Prevention