Beginning in October, crisis hotline Centre Helps will begin a partnership with the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline so that callers from Centre County receive local assistance in their time of need.
The NSPL currently receives about 60 calls a month from Centre County, and those calls are routed to call centers outside of Pennsylvania. Through the new partnership, those calls will be answered by local counselors from Centre Helps, which will become a NSPL call center.
‘Because of this partnership, people who call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline will now be talking to a professionally trained local counselor — someone who has vast knowledge of our area and knows the range of services available to help with their needs,’ Leanne Lenz, Centre Helps executive director, said in a news release. ‘Localizing this service truly is the best way to help the people of central Pennsylvania.”
Formerly the Community Help Centre, Centre Helps is a 24-hour hotline that has been assisting area residents for 47 years. Counselors help individuals through a range of crises, including suicidal thoughts, substance abuse and difficulty meeting basic needs.
It serves as a hub of information on more than 400 local programs and its counselors are able to make informed referrals to individuals for organizations that can best help their long-term health. In addition to the hotline, Centre Helps programs include basic needs case management, Youthful Offenders Program and Parents of Addicted Children Coming Together.
The Centre Helps hotline can be reached any time at 800-494-2500 or 814-237-5855. For more information visit www.centrehelps.org.
The National Suicide Prevention Hotline also can be reached at 1-800-273-8255 or online at suicidepreventionlifeline.org
