A crisis counselor answers a 988 call at the Ozark Center, which covers four southwestern counties (Photo courtesy of Freeman marketing).
Missouri has seen one of the nation’s largest increases in calls to the revamped national hotline that aids people facing mental health crises.
The number of calls to 988 from Missouri jumped 136% in May 2024 compared to May 2022, according to recent data from the health policy nonprofit KFF.
That’s a greater increase than the national average and ninth highest in the country.
State officials have celebrated Missouri’s volume increase as a product of significant efforts to ensure the public knows about 988.
“ We are really proud of what we’re doing here,” said Jeanette Simmons, deputy division director of the Missouri Department of Mental Health’s Division of Behavioral Health, during a mental health commission meeting earlier this month. “In national meetings, lots of people ask us questions about our 988 efforts, and how we have had so much success, and how we’re doing it.”