Crisis Helpline Answers The Call for Hoosiers In Need

More than 6,000 Hoosiers have called the Be Well Crisis Helpline.

Kelsi Linville with the Indiana Division of Mental Health and Addiction said the 24/7 access helpline was launched in July to support the mental health needs of Hoosiers during the COVID-19 pandemic.

“There have been a lot of callers who have just needed somebody to listen, somebody to provide compassion and empathy for the challenges that we all are facing,” said Linville.

The top distress reactions counselors are encountering on the calls have included isolation or withdrawal, issues with sleep, anxiety or fearfulness and difficulty concentrating.

According to data collected by the counselors, 46 percent of the callers have a pre-existing trauma, or substance use or mental health problems. Following their conversations, the counselors referred 29 percent of the callers to mental health treatment, 24  percent for additional community-based resources such as food, clothing, housing or utility assistance, and another 16 percent for additional crisis counseling.

Linville said the hotline will be available for a while.

“The helpline is funded through the end of June of this year of 2021 through the federal grant that we received. So, we’re around for the foreseeable future,” said Linville.

To reach a counselor, anyone in Indiana can simply call 211, enter their ZIP code, and follow the prompts to reach the Be Well Crisis Helpline.

More information on the Be Well Crisis Helpline and other resources and referrals can be found at www.BeWellIndiana.org

Indiana 211 is a free service that connects Hoosiers with assistance and answers from thousands of statewide health and human service resources.