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Crisis Text Resource Available for Lorain County

Text 4HOPE to 741741 to connect with the Crisis Text Line

February 3, 2017 — A Crisis Text Line is available to Lorain County residents. The text line serves anyone in Ohio or nationwide during any type of crisis, including if they are experiencing a mental health need. It provides access to free, confidential, all-hours, all-ages support and information, and promises a reply from a trained Crisis Counselor within minutes.

Text 4HOPE or HELLO to 741741 to connect with the Crisis Text Line.

"When a person is in need, they should have various ways to access help," says Dr. Kathleen Kern, incoming director of the . "A texting option is great for connecting people with the support they need. I tried it myself to see how it works, and I found the text line to be easy to use, with counselors who were responsive and knowledgeable."

Kern notes that the text line is one more way for the people of Lorain County to find help, in addition to the local mental health crisis hotline and the non-emergency Navigator line for connecting to mental health services.

Nationally, Crisis Text Line has 50,000 texters per month, including people of all ages. Thirty percent of the messages the text line receives are about suicide and depression.

The Ohio Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services (OhioMHAS) entered into a contract with the national Crisis Text Line to provide Ohioans with a state-specific keyword, 4HOPE, to access its free service. People can also text the word HELLO, the national keyword, to 741741.

The message is confidential, anonymous, and secure. Crisis Text Line does not charge texters if their cell phone plan is with AT&T, T-Mobile, Sprint, or Verizon, and nothing will appear on a phone bill. If a plan is with another carrier, standard messaging rates apply, and the short code 741741 will appear on the billing statement.

Locally, residents who are experiencing a mental health crisis also can call the 24/7 crisis hotline at 1-800-888-6161. To schedule or ask about local non-emergency mental health services, residents can call the Navigator on weekdays during regular business hours at 440-240-7025.

For more information about the text line, visit OhioMHAS at mha.ohio.gov.