Call Declined

Introducing: Call For Help

For decades, mental health has been criminalized and those in dire need of urgent support often don't receive it. Call For Help explores the gut-wrenching human stories that led to the new national 988 hotline for suicide prevention and mental health crises, now available from any phone in America. Hosted by Stephanie Wittels Wachs with special correspondent Zak Williams and available on August 16. Presented by Sozosei Foundation, and supported by The Jed Foundation, NAMI, and The Just Trust.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Call For Help (Official Trailer)

988 is being promoted as a 24/7 national hotline to handle mental health emergencies. In theory, it could reimagine crisis response in America, minimizing police contact and connecting callers to mental health, substance use, and suicidal crises services. In reality, most states aren't ready for 988. On top of that, decades of criminalizing mental illness have caused widespread wariness of trusting the hotline. Call For Help uncovers what crisis response looks like in America, and what it will take for 988 to work. Hosted by Stephanie Wittels Wachs with special correspondent Zak Williams and available on August 16. Presented by Sozosei Foundation, and supported by The Jed Foundation, NAMI, and The Just Trust.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Call for Help: The United States of Crisis

For far too long, the United States has put mental healthcare on the back burner. Through enormous advocacy and the initiation and rollout of the 988 hotline, a theoretical lifeline is now at the fingertips of every American. But in a country with a deep history of criminalizing mental health, will 988 live up to its potential? Today, Stephanie explores how 988 came to be, along with all the promise and peril it carries. Weekly special correspondent Zak Williams shares his personal mental health journey, how stigma impacted his father, Robin Williams, and how the actor’s death inspired him to become a mental health advocate. We also meet Congressman Seth Moulton, mental health advocate Keris Myrick, Executive Director of the National Suicide and Crisis Lifeline John Draper, and Director of the Sozosei Foundation Melissa Beck.   SHOW NOTES Get to Know 988 Learn about your state’s plan for funding 988. https://reimaginecrisis.org/map/ Advocate Email your representatives and sign a petition to request crisis services that are unique to your state and your community.  https://nami.quorum.us/crisisadvocacy/ 988 Policy Dig into policy documents, resources and much more information. https://www.sozoseifoundation.org/sozosei-foundation-updates Listen to UBU Keris Myrick’s podcast Unapologetically Black Unicorns. https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/unapologetically-black-unicorns/id1568804071 Watch Zak’s Documentary To learn more about Zak’s mental health journey and advocacy, you can watch the Oprah and Prince Harry’s documentary series “The Me You Can’t See”. https://tv.apple.com/us/show/the-me-you-cant-see/umc.cmc.4amwght1qtt8ioilwr0mgnf6d   Call for Help is presented by Sozosei Foundation: A catalyst for ideas that nurture creative solutions for healthier communities. Learn more at SozoseiFoundation.org. The Jed Foundation is a non-profit organization that protects emotional health and prevents suicide for teens and young adults. Visit JedFoundation.org for more information. NAMI, the National Alliance on Mental Illness, is the nation's largest grassroots mental health organization. Learn more at nami.org. The Just Trust is a group of funds one hundred percent dedicated to advancing criminal justice reform, state-by-state and across the country. Visit TheJustTrust.org to learn more.    CREDITS Call for Help is a Lemonada original, presented by Sozosei Foundation. Hosting and story-editing were done by Stephanie Wittels Wachs. Our producers are Alie Kilts and Alexa Lim. Tess Novotny is our associate producer. Natasha Jacobs is our engineer and sound designer. Music is by Xander Singh with additional music by Natasha Jacobs. Naomi Barr is our fact checker. Executive producers are Stephanie Wittels Wachs, Zak Williams and Jessica Cordova Kramer. Special thanks to Chrystal Genesis and Jackie Danziger for additional support. Follow Stephanie on Twitter and Instagram at @wittelstephanie. Stay up to date with us on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram at @LemonadaMedia. You can also get premium content and behind the scenes material by subscribing to Lemonada Premium on Apple Podcasts. Want to become a Lemonada superfan? Join us at joinsubtext.com/lemonadasuperfan.   Click this link for a list of current sponsors and discount codes for this and all other Lemonada series: lemonadamedia.com/sponsors.To follow along with a transcript, go to lemonadamedia.com/show/callforhelp shortly after the air date.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Call for Help: Mental Illness Is Not A Crime

In 2019, Taun Hall’s 18 year-old son, Miles, was in the midst of a mental health crisis in their affluent, suburban community of Walnut Creek, California. The police responded, and within 30 seconds, Miles was shot and killed. What would have happened if Taun called 988 instead of 911? Would Miles still be alive? With insight from Taun Hall, Tom Insel, Dr. Altha Stewart, and Asantewaa Boykin, Stephanie explores how we got stuck with such a fractured system in the first place, the human toll, particularly in communities of color, and how communities are fighting to build better solutions for all. Zak Williams, our Special Service Correspondent, joins with specific actions we can take in the fight.    SHOW NOTES Navigating CrisisCheck out the guide from NAMI to learn how to navigate a crisis and the JED Foundation on how to talk to your friends who might be struggling. https://www.nami.org/Your-Journey/Living-with-a-Mental-Health-Condition/What-to-Do-In-a-Crisis https://jedfoundation.org/mental-health-resource-center/ Mental Health x Criminal JusticeExplore the intersection between mental health and criminal justice. https://thejusttrust.org/ https://campaignzero.org/#vision Support Our GuestsLearn more about Taun Hall’s work getting 988 policy passed in her community, and read about what Asantewaa Boykin is doing to make mental health crisis response more accessible.  https://www.themileshallfoundation.org/ https://www.antipoliceterrorproject.org/mh-first-oakland CREDITS Call For Help is a Lemonada Media original presented by Sozosei Foundation. Hosting and story editing were done by me, Stephanie Wittels Wachs. Our producers are Alie Kilts and Alexa Lim. Tess Novotny is our associate producer. Natasha Jacobs is our engineer and sound designer. Music is by Xander Singh with additional music by Natasha Jacobs. Naomi Barr is our fact checker. Executive producers are Zak Williams, Jessica Cordova Kramer and me. We are so grateful to our show sponsors The Jed Foundation, National Alliance on Mental Illness and The Just Trust. And a special thanks to Chrystal Genesis and Jackie Danziger for additional support.  You can follow me on Twitter and Instagram @wittelsstephanie, and stay up to date with Lemonada on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram @lemonadamedia. You can also get premium content and behind the scenes material by subscribing to Lemonada Premium on Apple Podcasts. For a list of current sponsors and discount codes for this and all other Lemonada series, you can visit lemonadamedia.com/sponsors. And finally, to follow along with a transcript, go to lemonadamedia.com/show/callforhelp shortly after the air date.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Call For Help: Someone to Call, Someone to Come, Somewhere to Go

Last week, we saw what happens when a mental health emergency falls into the wrong hands. So what happens when a comprehensive system, run by well-trained mental health staff, is in place? Today, Stephanie visits a state that exemplifies the gold standard of crisis response: Arizona. Yes, really. While Arizona is typically known for messy politics and scandalous policing, they have been quietly building a best-in-class mental-health response plan since the 1980s. With the roll out of 988, what can other states learn from Arizona? We go inside a dispatch center and ride along with mobile crisis teams to find out firsthand. Plus, Zak is back with tips on how you can help make the Arizona model a reality everywhere.  SHOW NOTES Become a Call Specialist Consider volunteering or getting a job with your local crisis hotline. https://www.samhsa.gov/find-help/988/jobs   Share Your Story If you have lived experience, share your story with NAMI. https://nami.org/Get-Involved/Share-Your-Story   Youth Mental Health Learn more about protecting the emotional and mental health of young people. https://jedfoundation.org/bts2022-for-youth/   CREDITS Call for Help is a Lemonada original, presented by Sozosei Foundation. Hosting and story-editing were done by Stephanie Wittels Wachs. Our producers are Alie Kilts and Alexa Lim. Tess Novotny is our associate producer. Natasha Jacobs is our engineer and sound designer. Music is by Xander Singh with additional music by Natasha Jacobs. Naomi Barr is our fact checker. Executive producers are Stephanie Wittels Wachs, Zak Williams and Jessica Cordova Kramer. Special thanks to Chrystal Genesis and Jackie Danziger for additional support. Follow Stephanie on Twitter and Instagram at @wittelstephanie. Stay up to date with us on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram at @LemonadaMedia. You can also get premium content and behind the scenes material by subscribing to Lemonada Premium on Apple Podcasts. Want to become a Lemonada superfan? Join us at joinsubtext.com/lemonadasuperfan.   Click this link for a list of current sponsors and discount codes for this and all other Lemonada series: lemonadamedia.com/sponsors. To follow along with a transcript, go to lemonadamedia.com/show/callforhelp shortly after the air date.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.