On July 16th, 2022, 9-8-8 officially launched nationwide and became available 24/7 for anyone experiencing a suicidal crisis or mental health-related distress. This Sunday, July 16th, 2023 marks the one-year anniversary of the easy-to-remember 3-digit number launch. Over the last year, the network has grown to build capacity for chat and text in addition to the phone line, and specialty lines were added for Veterans, LGBTQI+ youth, and Spanish-speaking persons.
Gryphon Place is a proud partner of the 9-8-8 National Suicide and Crisis Lifeline network. When a call is made to the 9-8-8 line, that call is routed to the nearest crisis center, including Gryphon Place. Gryphon Place is the primary center for Kalamazoo, Calhoun, Van Buren, St. Joseph, and Cass counties. Gryphon Place is also a National Back-Up Center for 9-8-8, in the event another center is busy and not able to respond to a call in an effective timeframe.
Gryphon Place has responded to over 22,000 calls in the last year. Most callers report feeling significantly less depressed, less suicidal, less overwhelmed, and more hopeful after calling the line.
“We know that taking action to call for support is an act of courage, and we are so grateful to be a part of that caller’s journey,” said Ashley Kipp, Vice President of Crisis and Conflict. “We also want to thank our entire Crisis team at Gryphon Place for all of their hard work.”
Whether a person experiences thoughts of suicide, a mental health or substance use crisis, or any other kind of emotional distress, there is compassionate support available by calling or texting 988, or chatting 988lifeline.org/chat.
To learn about the impact of the Lifeline, visit the new By the Numbers page.