FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Shawn Flaherty, 703-554-3609
PRS Expands 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline Role as Provider of National Specialized Chat and Text Service for LGBTQIA+ Youth and Young Adults
Oakton, VA – September 21, 2023 — PRS, a nonprofit providing behavioral health services across Northern Virginia and one of the largest 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline contact centers in the nation, is now offering specialized crisis services to the LGBTQIA+ youth and young adult community. The National Suicide Hotline Designation Act, signed in 2020, included the first explicitly LGBTQ-inclusive bill to ever pass Congress unanimously. The legislation requires specialized services for LGBTQIA+ youth and young adults to be offered as part of 988. Any members who are age 25 and below and are experiencing a crisis or need emotional support can now connect with a specially trained crisis worker through PRS CrisisLink and the broader 988 Lifeline network.
“We continue to evolve our crisis services to meet the needs of different populations. LGBTQIA+ youth are four times more likely to consider suicide, make a plan for suicide, and attempt suicide. We know these young people face stigma, discrimination, and oppression making reaching out for help and connecting to safe resources incredibly difficult and scary. Providing tailored crisis services will help us reach more people and connect them with safer life-saving services and resources that affirm their identities,” explained Joseph Getch, CEO, PRS. “We now have crisis workers dedicated to this community that have additional training, lived experience, and a dedication to serving individuals within the LGBTQIA+ community. We are proud and eager to provide hope, empathy, and compassion.”
LGBTQIA+ youth and young adults face extremely high levels of violence and in turn the mental health challenges associated with these exposures, according to data reported by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The report also found that more than half (52%) of LGBTQI+ students had recently experienced poor mental health and that more than 1 in 5 (22%) attempted suicide in the past year.
Through its CrisisLink program, PRS operates the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline phone services for most of Virginia, including Northern Virginia. PRS also supports the network nationally as a 988 Telephone Back-up Center, a 988 Chat and Text Center, and is one of only four 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline centers in the nation responding to the LGBTQIA+ Youth Chat and Text program. The LGBTQIA+ service provides several ways to get in touch: text “Q” to 988; press 3 when prompted while calling 988; or go to 988lifeline.org/chat and check the LGBTQI+ box in the pre-chat survey. These options are designed for anyone under 25 who wants to connect with a trained crisis worker specifically focused on meeting the needs of LGBTQIA+ youth and young adults. As part of this effort, PRS is adding 40 new staff that will be trained and dedicated to handling the chat and text inquiries.
If someone in crisis reaches out, PRS trained crisis workers connect human to human to provide emotional support, help deescalate the crisis when possible through collaboration with the person in crisis, and work collaboratively with local resources to connect individuals to appropriate services. In an average month, PRS receives about 14,000 calls, 4,500 of those from Northern Virginia and the rest from all over the nation, and more than 6,000 chats and texts.
HopeLink Behavioral Health (formerly PRS)
HopeLink is a leading nonprofit helping those living with diverse behavioral health issues and anyone who faces life crises achieve independence, self-sufficiency and safety. HopeLink provides people they serve with skill training and support to help them recover and rebuild their lives through a range of services, including: Psychosocial Rehabilitation Day Program Services, Mental Health Outpatient Therapy, Mental Health Skills-Building, Individual Supported Employment, Peer Support Services, Coordinated Specialty Care and CrisisLink – a national 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline Center and Regional Crisis Call Center covering most of Virginia. For 24/7 support from CrisisLink, call or text 988. For 24/7 chat support, visit 988lifeline.org/chat. www.HopeLinkBH.org.
