John Zubryd speaks with a client on the Center for Community Resources crisis hotline at the center. Butler Eagle file photo

Saturday, July 16, marked the first day for the 988 hotline for suicide prevention across Pennsylvania.

The number, which connects directly to the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline, will give those seeking mental health crisis assistance an easier and faster way to access the help they need.

The hotline was officially designated in 2020 through Congress, and can be texted or called by anyone at any time, at no cost. The existing Suicide Prevention Lifeline (1-800-273-8255) will remain available.

Marni Rettig, mental health director at Butler County Human Services, explained that the 988 hotline will help connect those in crisis if they don’t know their local crisis number. In Butler County, the Center for Community Resources’s crisis number is 800-292-3866.

“In Butler County, we have our crisis line, and with that, folks not only access the phone services, but they can also request mobile crisis services or walk-in services,” Rettig said.

While the 988 line is a national program, calls will be routed to one of 13 different call centers located within Pennsylvania.

“It all goes off of the area code that the person is calling from,” she said. “Around here, if you have a 724 area code, it will be routed within Pennsylvania.”

Callers are also given the option to reach the Veterans Crisis Line (Option 1) or a Spanish speaker (Option 2). If a local or regional call center is unavailable, the call will be routed to the national backup network able to assess the crisis and connect to local assistance.

The Center for Community Resources has handled National Suicide Prevention Lifeline calls in Butler County for the past 16 years, director of programs Katie Doerr said.

“We’re not changing what we do on the back end – we're still assessing, we’re still supporting, we’re following up if we need to,” Doerr said. “People can remember 988 very easily, so that’s the hope and the goal, that people will be able to quickly dial it if they need it.”

CCR is both a regional and local crisis services provider, Doerr explained, and can provide mobile or walk-in assistance if needed.

“We try to determine where that person is actually calling from, what area and what county. We try to build rapport and trust with them first, and we make sure that they are safe,” she said. “Then we try to get into the demographic information, and we try to build a relationship. We will explain to them at that point some resources that could be beneficial and if they would like to be connected to additional resources.”

While the number to call is changing, Doerr sees CCR as continuing to provide the same type of care to the community.

“We're going to keep providing our crisis services,” she said. “Whether on a local level or a national level, we want to be there for anybody who calls us."