Impact Story
Mental Health of America Greenville County
Preparing for 988
As many as 2.3 million South Carolinians live in an area that doesn't have enough mental health professionals to meet demand. They need help from organizations such as MHAGC, which supports the crisis lifeline.
About the Organization
Mental Health America was founded in 1909 to help educate about mental illness and improve the treatment that patients received. Mental Health America of Greenville County (MHAGC), an affiliate of Mental Health America, was founded in 1954 to address all aspects of mental health and mental illness.
MHAGC has been handling suicide and crisis lifeline calls since 2007. As other lifeline centers around the state closed, MHAGC remained the only one standing strong to support individuals in crisis. Unfortunately, due to the lack of other call centers and the increased volume MHAGC received, it was only able to answer 5% of incoming calls.
Program Goals
MHAGC knew that in 2020, the government intended to launch 988, a crisis phone number designed to be easy to remember and call (similar to 911). MHAGC also knew that as the only crisis lifeline center, it would be responsible for handling those incoming calls. It needed to be equipped to handle the service and it needed to be ready to address an increase in call volume.
MHAGC went from handling 3,334 contacts in 2019 to 31,151 in 2023 — a 934% increase.
The Results
The initial grant from the BlueCross BlueShield of South Carolina Foundation helped MHAGC update its outdated phone system, allowing MHAGC to handle calls more efficiently and to collect essential metrics. Perhaps more importantly, it allowed calls to be answered remotely — a critical element during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Foundation has continued to support MHAGC, allowing MHAGC to use the data it gathered to develop robust real-time statistics and insights. With these insights, MHAGC can ensure it is adhering to best practices, maintaining high standards of engagement with people in crisis and fostering equity in service provision.
MHAGC was also able to hire its first human resources professional, enabling itself to grow and maintain its workforce's own well-being.
