Semi-annual Call Volume andCenter Status Report

The National Suicide PreventionLifeline and American Samoa

(July-December 2018)

WHO AREWE?

The Lifeline is the nation'spublic safety net for allAmerican residents inemotional distress orsuicidal crisis.

Healing, hope, and help can happen.1.

We can all take action to prevent suicide.2.

Local crisis centers are critical partners in all community suicide prevention.

3.

Page 1

In American Samoa, there are

The Lifeline was established in 2005 bySAMHSA.  

WHO AREWE?

WE BELIEVE

Through its toll-free number (800-273-TALK), the Lifeline is a national servicedesigned to seamlessly

This year, the Lifeline’s network of over160 local centers will answer over 2million calls.

AMERICAN SAMOA MEMBERS

they are able to get the best care,

crisis centers which are members of the Lifeline...

locallyconnect persons in each state tofinanced and operatedcrisis centers, so

nearest to them.

AMERICAN SAMOA HIGHLIGHTS

Page 2

in-state out-of-state

0

1

2

3

4

5

Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec

Num

ber o

f Cal

ls

Where are the callers from American Samoa being answered?Callers from American Samoa are better served by their local crisis centers.  However, if the nearestcenter to the caller is busy, Lifeline network backup centers in other regions across the United States maketheir best efforts to answer these calls.

The Lifeline is a local and national safetynet for people in crisis, with one easilyrecognizable national toll free hotline.

In the last six months of 2018,

there were 9 callers fromAmerican Samoa to the Lifeline.

Of those 9 callers,0% were able to receive help inAmerican Samoa.

Which means that 9 callers from American Samoa,were unable to be answered by alocal center in American Samoa.

0

5

10

15

2014 2015 2016 2017 2018

Years

Num

ber o

f Cal

ls

This chart shows total annual call volumefrom American Samoa for the last five years.

This chart shows where the callers from American Samoawere answered between July and December of 2018.

OUR GOALS

Why is it important that your territory support local Lifeline crisiscenters?

QUESTIONS?

Best Practices in Crisis Care

The clinical care task force for theNational Action Alliance finds thatbest practices in suicide care havenot been implemented in all crisissettings*.   Being a member of the Lifelineensures that your state is meetingstandards established by SAMHSAfunded evaluation of crisis centers*.These evaluations show Lifelinecenters significantly reduceemotional distress and suicidalityin callers. All Lifeline centers are required tobe accredited and adopt industrystandard practices based onresearch and national expertconsensus. Recent research byRand* shows that Lifeline centersdo a better job of assessing risk andreducing distress in callers thannon-Lifeline crisis centers.

Cost Effective Means to Fill in Gaps of Care

Aside from research showing thatLifeline centers reduce suicidal andemotional distress in callers,Lifeline centers in your territorycan better ensure that AmericanSamoa callers “go through the rightdoor” for local care. Local Lifeline crisis centers reducethe burden on your emergencyrooms, police, and emergencyresponders, as well as yourbehavioral healthcare providers,who often must step in whenemotional crises escalate. Thecenters also provide a safety net inthe absence of other affordablecommunity resources. People in crisis can easily usehotlines to access help when othermental health, substance abuse,and social services have eligibilityrestrictions, are unavailable in ruralareas, are inaccessible during late-night hours, or no longer operatebecause of budget cuts.

212-614-6379 mtaylor@vibrant.orgMatt Taylor, Director

of  NetworkDevelopment

Page 3

Your callers in crisis deserve the best helpthey can receive – and they deserve toreceive it in their own territory, fromproviders who know where the best care isto support their local needs. Support your local crisis centers .

"Studies indicate that crisis hotlines play a critical role in ... the mental healthsystem. Crisis hotlines could also be utilized to provide monitoring or tracking of

patients after hospital treatment for a suicide attempt. Crisis hotlines deserve theactive support of the SMHA to ensure high quality, cost-effective services are

consistently available to all residents of the state.”

- NASMHPD 2007 Suicide Prevention Efforts for Individuals with SeriousMental Illness: Roles for the State Mental Health Authority (SMHA)

To efficiently connect callers with your local crisis and behavioralhealth services, the crisis centers in American Samoa need to be part ofthe Lifeline.

PUBLIC RECOGNITION

reach up to 7 million peopleannually.

all accredited facilities togive the Lifeline number toall suicidal persons they areserving.

results in a prominentlydisplayed "one box" throughour partnership withGoogle.

Any search that is suicide related...

The Joint Commission now requires...

Our partnerships with social mediacompanies...

associated with many state and national public health efforts to prevent suicide.  Millions of suicideprevention stakeholders across this country are promoting the Lifeline  offline and online, but 75% ofLifeline callers first learn of the service from online resources.

When people in the U.S. mention suicideto Apple iPhone's Siri...she refers them to the Lifeline.

The phone number and brand of the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline can be

Source: goo.gl/yCSuGz

Page 4