Tribal Public Health Spreads the Word About 988

UIHS CommunicationsAll News, Featured, Tribal Public Health

UIHS Tribal Public Health Staff Members of the Health Promotion & Education (HPE) Department set up information tables in the beautiful Gathering Room at Potawot Village to bring awareness to many important public health issues, including 988, a toll-free suicide and crisis line. 

Suicide prevention in youth and adults has been an emphasis in the American Indian/Alaska native healing community, because we know that on a large scale, Native communities experience the highest rates of suicide among all racial and ethnic groups in the United States and more importantly because our local community members have identified within our UIHS Community Needs Assessment this as an area in which they would like more education and support. 

Our HPE Specialist, Katrina “Tina” Taylor, has been hired and trained to is bringing this issue to light through her out-reach, directly to the community at UIHS clinics in Humboldt and Del Norte Counties. She provides information and options for those who are in crisis. 

In 2022, the 1-toll free 800 number which was established in 2005 as a crisis and suicide prevention hotline, was shortened to an easy to remember 3-digit number – 988, similar to 411, or 911. 

“When you’re in crisis, or if you’re suicidal, it’s difficult to remember an (ten digit) number, right? So, similar to 211, 988 is just a three-digit number.” 

But you don’t have to be suicidal, or in crisis to use 988. As “crisis” can look differently to different folks, the lifeline is available to everyone at every stage of their need.. The 988lifeline.org website lists mental health struggles, emotional distress, alcohol or drug use concerns for you or your family, or even if you just need someone to talk to. 

“Being in a small community, sometimes you just want to talk to somebody who’s not around,” Katrina Tina explained, “988 is a 24-hour access line. Somebody will answer 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. And not only that, they’re highly trained individuals who answer the phone and/or licensed clinicians.” 

With 988 being such a valuable service, it’s a big surprise that so many people are not aware of it. “Only a 5% sliver of the pie of people actually know about 988,” Katrina Tina says,. “I’m still running into people who say no, they don’t know about 988.” 

And that’s why you can find Katrina Tina and other HPE team members spreading the word at Potawot Village on the first Friday of every month as well as periodic outreaches to at the other UIHS clinics, such as Klamath, Crescent City, Smith River, Eureka and Weitchpec throughout the remainder of the month. 

Katrina Tina will be back at Potawot Village on February 7th handing out information as well as stickers and gifts to make 988 an unforgettable number. If you would like to say hello and learn about 988 for you or and your loved ones in other locations, here are is the current HPE outreach schedule for the beginning of 2025

Places Katrina is scheduled for outreach:

  • January 14th Klamath 
  • January 21st Weitchpec 
  • February 7TH PHV 
  • February 11th Crescent City 
  • February y 18th Weitchpec 
  • March 7th PHV 
  • March 11th Smith River 
  • March 18th Weitchpec