New name, same mission for Idaho suicide prevention hotline

BOISE, Idaho — The service that started a decade in the past because the Idaho Suicide Prevention Hotline is working beneath a brand new identify: Idaho Disaster & Suicide Hotline.

Hotline director Lee Flinn introduced the identify change Wednesday. The Idaho hotline continues to be a member of the Nationwide Suicide Prevention Lifeline’s community of greater than 200 name facilities.

“Because the telephones began ringing in 2012, the Hotline has been an entry level into the state’s behavioral well being system and a supply of assist for Idahoans experiencing suicidal emotions and different varieties of emotional misery,” Flinn stated in a information launch.

Disaster assist is out there 24 hours a day, 7 days every week, by calling 800-273-8255 or texting 208-398-4357.

Individuals have reached out to ICSH for a lot of totally different causes, Flinn stated, together with:

• Suicidal ideas
• Psychological well being
• Relationship points
• Loneliness and isolation
• Dependancy/substance abuse
• Bodily well being
• Monetary troubles

“Our up to date identify displays the kind of assist the Hotline has at all times offered and our ongoing dedication to Idahoans — no matter the kind of disaster an individual could also be experiencing,” Flinn stated.

When an individual contacts the hotline by cellphone name, textual content or internet chat, a skilled disaster responder helps the caller scale back stress, conducts a security evaluation and works with that individual to determine private helps and a plan to remain protected. The assist is free and confidential.

Since its founding in 2012, the ICSH has responded to greater than 95,000 contacts from each county in Idaho, ranging in age from 8 to 93 years outdated.

When you or somebody you realize wants assist, name 800-273-8255, textual content 208-398-4357, or go to the hotline web site.

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