Crisis hotline will continue to be available for SE Minnesota residents

Amid news that a statewide crisis hotline is discontinuing service, a group of local organizations is reminding the public that phone support is still available for residents of southeast Minnesota.

The Crisis Response for SE Minnesota, a service providing phone support and mobile teams for people experiencing mental health crises, will continue to remain up and running. The program is not affiliated with the Crisis Connection, which will shut down this Friday because of financial issues.

“People in the 10-county region experiencing a mental health crisis may continue to call this service 24/7 and receive phone support and, as necessary, mobile team support,” said Luke Mattheisen, mobile crisis coordinator. “The need for these types of services continues to grow and we are here to meet this growing demand.”

According to Mattheisen, the service assisted 1,200 residents in 2016 and has experienced a 20 percent growth in call volume over the first half of this year.

The Crisis Response for SE Minnesota is a collaboration of Zumbro Valley Health Center, South Central Human Relations Center, Hiawatha Valley Mental Health Center and the ten counties encompassing the SE region of the state.

The free service provides round-the-clock access to trained counselors to support adults and children through crisis situations. Services are designed to stabilize people experiencing a mental health crisis and direct them to available community resources for long-term support.

The service is available 24/7 at 1-844-CRISIS2.

Cover photo: Licensed / Canva