As Mental Health Awareness month kicks-off, the Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services Division of of Behavioral Health has announced the helpline reached a new milestone: 35,000 calls, helping more than 23,000 Nebraska families statewide as the service celebrates eight years in action.
Sheri Dawson, director of the Division of Behavioral Health at DHHS says, The Nebraska Family Helpline provides support for families to deal with their immediate crisis and help them gain access to services in their area for a long-term solution.
Operators identify the potential level of a behavioral health crisis, make recommendations or referrals to appropriate resources, and help callers connect to emergency resources or providers. The Helpline is supervised by licensed mental health professionals at Boys Town. Also, the Nebraska Family Helpline routinely receives calls from professionals working with families who need additional support or resources, from school counselors to nurses to police officers.
The Nebraska Family Helpline, (888) 866-8660, provides a simple and direct method for families to obtain assistance with mental health issues 24 hours a day, every day of the year. Trained Helpline operators screen calls to assess immediate safety needs, and 99 percent of calls are answered in 10 seconds or less. The average call length of first-time callers is 20 minutes.
