1-800-SUICIDE to Ring Busy After Midnight if Phone Bill Isn't Paid

WASHINGTON (AP) -- 1-800-SUICIDE, the nation's best-known private and confidential suicide prevention hotline network, will be shut off at midnight tonight unless action is taken. The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Administration (SAMHSA), a division of HHS, has decided to end all funding for KBHC while continuing to owe them $266,000 from over 2 years ago.

Instead of sending the funds that were already allocated, SAMHSA has gone on to create their own competing crisis hotline -- which gives them access to callers' private information through phone records.

More:
http://www.wtol.com/Global/story.asp?S=5269152

:sarcasm:

mental illness. Why not just let the little ankle biting bastards die and be done with it? :sarcasm: :cry: :grr: :argh:

Over one recent 18-month period, Air Force and Navy personnel used govern­ment-funded credit cards to charge at least $102,400 for admission to entertainment events, $48,250 for gambling, $69,300 for cruises, and $73,950 for exotic dance clubs and prostitutes.

http://www.heritage.org/Research/Budget/bg1840.cfm

:sarcasm:

People need to know about this.

:kick:

It's just another example of *'s motive that has surfaced over the last 6 years, which is "My projection of the next animal on the endangered species list will be the middle class American!!"

increase in teen suicide since funding has been cut for mental health services. The instability created by the aftermath of Katrina certainly didn't help either. But FEMA dropped the ball on getting them post-storm help. A friend of mine is now a FEMA counselor and has been through their training program. She's expecting to do some travelling to the Gulf states this summer and fall.

1-800-SUICIDE Hotline Set to Shut Down on Saturday August 12

August 10, 2006

The nation's largest suicide hotline, 1-800-SUICIDE, is scheduled to go out of service this Saturday, August 12, 2006. There are currently negotiations in progress that may prevent this. However, in the event that these negotiations are not successful, NAMI is issuing this alert to raise public awareness of the alternative for those in need of help.

The alternative number for those in crisis is 1-800-273-TALK. This number will put callers in touch with the federally-funded National Suicide Prevention Lifeline, a service that has been in operation since January, 2005. It functions as a central switchboard to immediately connect callers to virtually the same network of certified, local crisis centers accessed by 1-800-SUICIDE. So callers can receive counseling or emergency services, if needed, close to home.

All calls to the 1-800-273-TALK Lifeline are private and confidential. Confidentiality of personal information and of personal disclosures during calls is a high priority for the parties involved in operating the Lifeline.

The federal Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) is working with the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline and the entire suicide prevention community to ensure that every call for help during a suicide crisis is answered. Some of the measures being put in place include:

Ensuring that the entire suicide-prevention community is working the phones and Internet to make sure that all referring agencies know that 1-800-273-TALK is the number to call for suicide intervention.
Notifying service providers, including directory 411 and 211 operators, that 1-800-SUICIDE is scheduled to go out of service beginning August 12, 2006 and to direct callers to 1-800-273-TALK for help.
Redirecting callers who call 1-800-SUICIDE to call 1-800-273-TALK through a recording.
As a part of this effort, NAMI will participate in a meeting with SAMHSA and its other partner groups on Friday afternoon, August 11, and we will issue an update afterwards if there is additional information to share.

NAMI urges you to help distribute this alert in your community. Together, we can ensure that every call for help is answered.

Thank you,

Michael J. Fitzpatrick, MSW
Executive Director
NAMI

:hug:

Recently, he sharpened my kitchen knives for me. When he handed them back to me, he said "Now they're sharp enough for you to slit your wrists". Isn't that nice?

I bet that guy was a jacka$$ before he even thought of becoming a psychologist. Sorry you have to be around him at all. :pals:

to simply die off.

http://www.save1800suicide.org/

Time Before 1-800-SUICIDE shutdown:
00 Days 13 Hours 04 Minutes 55 Seconds.

This is our last chance to save 1-800-SUICIDE. If 1-800-SUICIDE goes down on Saturday suicidal callers will not be able to reach a crisis center counselor. Lives might be lost. It is most likely that the Federal Government will take over the line as soon as they can. Calls to 1-800-SUICIDE will no longer be confidential then. Please support our efforts to protect callers' privacy - donate now!

MAKE YOUR VOICE HEARD – BEFORE OUR GOVERNMENT SUFFOCATES THE NATION’S LARGEST PRIVATE & COMPLETELY CONFIDENTIAL HELP SYSTEM.

1-800-SUICIDE is in danger of being shut off or worse falling into the hands of the Federal Government. With teenage suicide being the 3rd leading cause of death between 18 to 24 year olds - our government should not be duplicating prevention efforts but helping fund the many local organizations and non-profits with proven track records on prevention. In addition our government should not be in the business having access to this private and sensitive information!

No other crisis hotline is owned by the federal government! Read more...

Despite the fact that almost 2 million callers have reached help and hope over the last 8 years, and a government funded evaluation stating the benefits of 1-800-SUICIDE, the Substance Abuse & Mental Health Service Administration (SAMHSA), a division of Health & Human Services, has decided to create their own government run system where they would have direct access to confidential data on individuals in crisis.

Thank you so much for this link. :hug:

:kick:

And thank you for the donation!

If HAMHSA takes over this function, aren't they just creating another evil big-government entitlement bureaucracy? :silly:

by people who hate the government to do anything, yet this batch of idiots what to take over this one support line, which will be the only mental-health 'support line' that is run by the gov, just this one. WHY?

Why isn't the media ASKING this basic question, why do they want to do this? What am I talking about, there's no media involved in this, it's not apparently a story yet...

The government wants to take over so that they will have access to records of the calls, which are now being kept confidential.

As usual, the national priorities are completely whacked. This is a drop in the bucket. How sad. :(

:kick:

Less than six hours left now.

:kick:

This makes me sick to no end. I can't imagine how someone so desperate but still reaching out for help would feel if their last effort resulted in a busy signal. I'd bet most if not all would consider it a sign and choose death. So sick and twisted to let this happen. Suicide is a major killer in our country, right after murder and car accidents for unnatural deaths.

So fucking pissed.
:grr:

if the line does go down, they should at least have a way to forward the call to the new fed. hotline. I can't imagine people simply being faced with a busy signal.

What are you chicken? Go ahead!

Though I read in another thread that they will probably have a recording telling people to call the other number. It still makes me sick though.

to become part of their database that they keep on regular citizens.

I would imagine if we objected, they would say "suicidal people may want to take people out with them, so they are potential terrorists". That sound about right?

If I was to be REALLY conspiracy-minded, I would say that this is a good way to find new recruits in the war on terrorism, new customers for big pharm, or new manchurian candidates for black ops. Surely these things have never crossed any of our minds...right?

And no, I am not saying that my conspiracy stuff is true, but it does make one wonder why the government would want this information and to keep it more private than the hotline had it. This surely is NOT motivated by wanting more people to not commit suicide as the Hotline has a very good track record.

So we have the money to fight wars & spend billions of dollars in pork, but we can't find the $200,000 dollars to save people's lives?

Oh, here's the real reason.

"Instead of sending the funds that were already allocated, SAMHSA has gone on to create their own competing crisis hotline -- which gives them access to callers' private information through phone records. 1-800-SUICIDE does not disclose its phone records to the federal government."
So, they're basically shutting down this hotwire cause they're refusing to turn over private records.

The hotwire is being shut down today. There's a grass-roots fight to keep it open though - their website is at http://www.save1800suicide.org/. & they're still accepting donations. I'm donating, even though it might be a lost cause now. http://www.save1800suicide.org/donate/. You can also send an email to SAMSHA & Health & Human Services, here - http://www.save1800suicide.org/lettertofeds/. We have to make our voices heard!

:kick:

I've sent a link to the website to my friends...

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

tick, tick, tick

Also a thread in GD

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=364&topic_id=1886596&mesg_id=1886596

Not much time left, folks...

Update: National Suicide Hotline
to Operate Two Additional Weeks

As NAMI reported yesterday, the nation's largest suicide hotline, 1-800-SUICIDE, is scheduled to go out of service. But instead of this occurring on Saturday, August 12, as previously announced, the operator of this hotline has been given a two week extension. Negotiations are still in progress that may prevent the number from going out of service. However, NAMI is still urging the public to be aware that the alternative number for those in crisis is 1-800-273-TALK.

This number will put callers in touch with the federally-funded National Suicide Prevention Lifeline, a service that has been in operation since January, 2005. It functions as a central switchboard to immediately connect callers to virtually the same network of certified, local crisis centers accessed by 1-800-SUICIDE. So callers can receive counseling or emergency services, if needed, close to home.

All calls to the 1-800-273-TALK Lifeline are private and confidential. Confidentiality of personal information and of personal disclosures during calls is a high priority for the parties involved in operating the Lifeline.

The federal Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) is working with the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline and the entire suicide prevention community to ensure that every call for help during a suicide crisis is answered. Some of the measures being put in place include:

Ensuring that the entire suicide-prevention community is working the phones and Internet to make sure that all referring agencies know that 1-800-273-TALK is the number to call for suicide intervention.

Notifying service providers, including directory 411 and 211 operators, that 1-800-SUICIDE is scheduled to go out of service in two weeks, and to direct callers to 1-800-273-TALK for help.

Redirecting callers who call 1-800-SUICIDE to call 1-800-273-TALK through a recording.

NAMI will continue to stay involved with these efforts and will distribute additional information as it becomes available.

NAMI urges you to help distribute this alert in your community. Together, we can ensure that every call for help is answered.

Thank you,

Michael J. Fitzpatrick, MSW
Executive Director
NAMI

Let's keep this kicked!