Celebrating Mental Health Awareness: Project 2025 & #ReimagineCrisis (988 Crisis Lifeline)

                                                                                                              Read Time: 2 minutes, 30 seconds

May is national Mental Health Awareness Month, and many efforts have been made to raise awareness and take action on mental health issues, care, and response.

The National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) is one of the largest grassroots mental health organizations in the United States. Established in 1979, NAMI has grown to over 600 local affiliates providing mental health support services to their communities and increasing awareness about mental health issues. NAMI started the #ReimagineCrisis campaign to spread information and awareness about the implementation of the National Suicide and Crisis Lifeline number, 988. The 988 crisis lifeline is scheduled to launch on July 16, 2022. 

Another noteworthy endeavor we can celebrate this May comes from the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (AFSP) — Project 2025. According to AFSP.org, Project 2025 is "a nationwide initiative to reduce the annual rate of suicide in the U.S. 20 percent by 2025." This project relies on the efforts and research of the foremost suicide prevention organizations in the country, and the Great Lakes MHTTC is looking forward to doing whatever we can to help them realize this goal.

In March 2022, the Secretary of Health and Human Services, Xavier Becerra, initiated the National Tour to Strengthen Mental Health. Secretary Becerra and other HHS leaders are traveling across the country to hear from citizens and improve local mental health care systems. This May, the team will visit multiple cities, including Los Angeles, Washington D.C., Portland, and New York, to meet with local partners and leaders to discuss topics such as youth mental health and mental health insurance.

“I’m on this tour to make it clear to Americans that the President is serious. We want to have your back when it comes to behavioral health issues,” Secretary Becerra said in one interview.

Mental health deserves significant attention no matter the month. Please join the Great Lakes MHTTC, SAMHSA, and our partners in spotlighting the importance of mental wellness, suicide prevention, and children's mental health throughout May and every day.