On Monday, Sept. 8, an event for 988 Day was held in the Student Union. Hosted by Counseling and Wellness Services, the main goal was to remind students of the resources available to them and their friends when they are in times of mental struggle.
What is 988?
Launched in the summer of 2022, 988 functions similarly to 911, but with a different function behind the people calling in. With 911, the emergencies are tangible or involve outside threats, whereas 988 provides support to mental and emotional crises.
Sara Baker is the Health and Wellness Program Manager for WSU's Counseling and Wellness Services. In this role, Baker hosts a lot of events that are similar to this one. Oftentimes, her events work to simultaneously educate and entertain attendees.
"Given that awareness of the 988 Crisis Lifeline is still hit or miss, we set that as our primary goal: to ensure that students who engaged with the event will walk away at least knowing about 988 as a resource," Baker said.
All attendees were given free gift bags, which contained handouts for all the mental health resources that were present at the event.
"988 will get you connected to that trade crisis counselor. 911 will get you dispatch, which is still helpful in some of these situations, but 988 is going to get you someone that's trained knows how to talk to people who are in a crisis. So those are the differences," Baker explained. "988 is the National Suicide and Crisis Lifeline. Anyone in the United States, anywhere in the United States can call, text or chat that line to get connected with a trained crisis counselor."
There are three ways to contact 988: You can text or call the number or visit the 988 Lifeline website and use the chat feature there.
Attendees were able to gain awareness of this, as well as the fact that you can utilize the resources for a friend. So, if you are ever with someone in crisis, do not forget that calling 988 is an option that could be lifesaving.
Atmosphere and event
Upon entering the Endeavor Room, students were greeted with the smell of pizza, the sight of gift bags and a projected slideshow with helpful information and tips posted on it.
"What should I look out for in a friend?" one slide asked, the answer on the same slide being: "Changes in Mood: disinterested, sad [or] disengaged. Behavior: not showing up [or] ignoring texts. Appearance: unkempt [or] messy."
Everywhere attendees looked, there was educational information to be found. There were even two handouts, which attendees filled in. When Baker asked for the answers, anyone who gave one received a free t-shirt.
"It's always tricky promoting events that are primarily learning-focused instead of entertainment. Students are very busy, and I'm asking them for an important piece of their limited time. So making sure that what we are communicating the importance of the message but also making sure it's worth the time investment, is always the hardest part," Baker said.
Evelyn Schrappe is a freshman nursing student at WSU who shared that she attended the event because she knew that there would be free food and important conversations about mental health.
"I like the like chill environment and all the stickers," Schrappe said.
She collected stickers that spoke to her from the various tables. Schrappe also shared that she appreciated the coloring sheets that were left out on the tables for attendees.
Throughout the event, Schrappe learned about the different ways to reach out to the resources that were offered. She appreciated the free things she acquired, but the information was even more valuable.
Resources available
Multiple tables were there, offering up business cards with contact information to companies and individuals who were present at the event.
"The most important piece of planning for this event was our collaboration with Charlie Health, who has been a supportive community partner for our students. Additional planning included setting a goal for the event: what did we want students to walk away with?" Baker said.
Lakisha Henry is an alumnus of WSU who now works for Charlie Health, which was one of the resources available at 988 day.
"I work for Charlie Health. We are a behavioral health provider. Essentially, we provide intensive mental health care: what that means is we provide support for people that need more than counseling, but they don't necessarily need to be [hospitalized]," Henry said.
Knowing about the resources available to you and others is helpful because you never know when you are going to need them. Companies like Charlie Health are beyond important for providing services that meet their clients where they are.
"Oftentimes, we feel like there's something wrong with us when we don't feel okay. My main mission is to remove that stigma that it is okay to need support, whether that's just texting someone and chatting for support or needing more," Henry said.
Articles and posts, such as signs that a friend may be struggling, can be found with JED, a non-profit organization that helps prevent suicide in teenagers.
"[WSU] has a crisis line just for its students called Raider Cares. This is available 24/7/365, even if campus is closed—weekends, holidays snow days, it is still available. This number can be reached by calling only at 937-775-4567," Baker said.
If you have not already, saving this number to your phone would be a good idea so you can have it in case you or a friend ever needs it.
