Bucks County residents calling or texting 9-8-8 for mental health or substance use assistance are now connected with local professionals from the Lenape Valley Foundation.
The Doylestown-based nonprofit began operating the 9-8-8 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline for the county in June.
The 9-8-8 service is available 24/7 through call, text, or chat, and works to provide immediate crisis intervention, reduce unnecessary emergency room visits, limit law enforcement interactions for mental health crises, and connect callers with follow-up care and community resources.
“In the same way that 911 connects callers to physical health emergency services, 988 simplifies access to behavioral health emergency services,” said Dave Herold, CEO of the Lenape Valley Foundation. “This move will ensure that our neighbors in crisis can quickly reach trained professionals who provide inclusive, culturally responsive care and can connect them to the appropriate local support.”
The Lenape Valley Foundation has hired eight crisis hotline specialists to staff the call center.
The call center staff will work from the organization’s crisis residential center, The Lodge, in Bristol Borough.
Lenape Valley Foundation officials said the staff have experience counseling individuals and families, including veterans, Spanish speakers, and members of the LGBTQI+ community.
Kris Thompson, COO at Lenape Valley Foundation, explained the process for when someone is connected to a specialists.
“When somebody calls they’re going to be met by a trained, crisis phone specialist, who has training and deescalating mental health, substance abuse, and specifically, of course, folks struggling with suicidal ideation,” Thompson said. “They are trained in how to deescalate those scenarios in the moment. They’re also trained in providing connection to resources for that individual depending on what needs to occur next once the situation has been stabilized.”
The 9-8-8 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline connects to a national network of more than 200 local crisis centers.
The 9-8-8 service was mandated by the National Suicide Hotline Designation Act, which passed by Congress in 2020, and became available in Pennsylvania on July 16, 2022.
ABC News reported last month that the 9-8-8 system has received 13 million calls, texts, and chats since in launched.
Previously, the Family Service Association of Bucks County operated the 9-8-8 lifeline in the area but the ended their operations of the service in 2023 due to limited funding.
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Since that time, calls from Bucks Countians were routed to other 9-8-8 centers throughout Pennsylvania, including as far away as Butler County.
A recent federal change by President Donald Trump’s administration to cut siloed LGBTQ+ youth services, known as the “Press 3 option,” and has drawn criticism.
The federal Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) said in a statement that the 9-8-8 number will serve “all help seekers.”
Bucks County Commissioner Vice Chairperson Diane Ellis-Marseglia, a social worker, called the federal change “unconscionable,” citing the higher suicide attempt rates among LGBTQ+ teenagers.
“I lost my 16-year-old daughter to suicide and know the absolute devastation it brings. Why would we put such pain on a child or their parent when simply maintaining a “Select 3” choice, can save a life? This is cruel and unnecessary,” Ellis-Marseglia said. “I implore the federal government to reverse this decision before this important service vanishes.”
Thompson affirmed that the Lenape Valley Foundation will continue to offer help to the LGBTQ+ community through the 9-8-8 lifeline.
“This service is well needed,” Thompson said.
Thompson said the foundation has provided crisis services in Bucks County for years, including at Lower Bucks Hospital in Bristol Township and Doylestown Hospital.
Those experiencing a mental health crisis or concerned about a loved one can call or text 9-8-8 from any phone or start a chat online at chat.988lifeline.org.
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