How Crisis Hotlines Can Be Used During A Pandemic
Crisis hotlines are handling a sharp increase in calls during the COVID-19 pandemic. As the level of anxiety grows because of the lockdown and the entire situation, mental health and addiction-related calls jumped by more than 50%during two weeks in April compared to March.
All of this leads us to believe that crisis hotlines are beneficial for both individuals affected by the crisis as well as the authorities or businesses offering the adequate aid.
What Is A Crisis Hotline?
For all of you who don’t know what a crisis hotline is, it is basically a phone number that people can call to get immediate emergency telephone counseling, usually by trained volunteers.
It is also a resource for individuals going through mental health crises, disasters, personal issues etc. For many, this hotline is a way to get mental health services and emotional support through the phone. Most of the crisis centers are non-profit and many utilize trained volunteers as well as mental health professionals.
Some of the most common uses of our crisis hotline include:
- Community Crises
- Disaster Response
- EAP Dispatch
- Friendship Line
- Suicide Prevention
- Veteran Affairs Support
The most important thing about these hotlines is their availability. They should be available to the entire community, at any time of the day or night and free of charge. However, not every crisis hotline can handle this from a technological perspective – managing and maintaining a call center for crises is often times difficult.
The Importance of Crisis Hotlines
Our crisis hotline services are often used as one of the best first steps for those in need of either help or information. With our professionally certified Call Agents, we are here to lend a calm and empathetic voice to callers who need immediate assistance.
The options that our clients can choose from include:
- Direct connection to one of your on-call support staff
- Referral to your EAP program
The environment that we work in is non-judgmental and a safe environment for callers to speak freely and confidentially. Our team is discrete and allows callers to speak openly and receive the assistance they need in solving their problems.
Developing A Crisis Hotline During COVID-19
As we already said above, crisis hotlines are great for people who need immediate help. With the COVID-19 pandemic and the lockdown that has been happening over the past few months, the number of people calling these crisis hotlines has been growing.
At Employee Hotlines, we recognize the need of more call centers in this specific category. We pride ourselves on having a robust technology and a team of trained agents that can help and support any crisis center or support line.
If you need more information about our experience with crisis hotlines, feel free to contact us today via phone or email. 877-777-6443.
