The Louisiana Department of Health is launching a new website and social media marketing campaign to promote their 988 suicide and crisis prevention helpline. State Suicide Prevention Coordinator Robyn Thomas says the new website is Louisiana 9-8-8-dot-org.
“It’s going to tell people what to expect when you call 988. It’s going to show reasons why to reach out to 988. There’s going to be FAQs on there and Louisiana 988 zooms background.”
Since its launch in July of 2022, call volume for 988 has increased by 11 percent. In-state answer rate rose from 64 percent to 87 percent. Thomas says the goal is to reach vulnerable populations including Blacks, Indigenous and People of Color, LGBTQ people, and veterans.
“We were able to do creative messaging to better understand what are some of the attitudes and beliefs of 988 to help us to develop our key messages. And also how those certain populations approach crisis situations.”
LDH hopes to remove the stigma of mental illness and encourage Louisiana residents to reach out if they are in a mental health crisis. Thomas hopes Louisianans will be able to connect with the campaign
“We were able to do some photoshoots with Louisiana residents. So Louisiana residents can see themselves in these photos that would be included in the branding materials. And we also did videos at the local crisis centers.”
There are five parishes they are particularly targeting with this campaign, Evangeline, Avoyelles, St. Landry. Livingston and Calcasieu. Those are the parishes with the highest suicide rates.
If you are in need of mental health services, call 988 or visit Louisiana988.org.
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