Rural Georgia still dialing 988 at higher rates as calls increase 12% overall

[RandySF]

Georgians living in rural communities continue to call into the national suicide prevention hotline at higher rates than other parts of the state as the one-year anniversary of the rollout of 988 approaches.

But there’s another alarming statistic causing concern in recent years about Georgia’s rural areas: The suicide rate increased even as the overall rate declined.

“We know the challenge in rural Georgia – and across really rural America – is a lack of access,” said Kevin Tanner, commissioner of the state Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities.

“Many parts of our state are having to drive well over an hour to access care and services. We also know that stigma is much higher in rural parts of our state,” he said.

Tanner, a former Republican lawmaker who became commissioner late last year, called 988 a “catalyst” for reducing stigma. This July will mark the one-year anniversary of the national three-digit dialing code’s launch.

Georgia has an advantage over other states that are building call intake centers from scratch. The Georgia Crisis and Access Line, where 988 calls go, was established in the wake of Hurricane Katrina in 2005 to assist evacuees.




https://georgiarecorder.com/2023/05/20/rural-georgia-still-dialing-988-at-higher-rates-as-calls-increase-12-overall/

[ecstatic]

1. I didn't know about the hotline

Nearly 30% of farmers reported thinking of dying by suicide at least once a month, according to the report produced by the Georgia Rural Health Innovation Center at Mercer University School of Medicine.

And 42% of all farmers have thought about dying by suicide at least once in the past 12 months, according to the report.

Among first-generation farmers, 61% said they had thought about dying by suicide in the last year.

These are horrible stats.