11.20.24 – Community Warm Line Open December 15, 2023!

20 Nov 11.20.24 – Community Warm Line Open December 15, 2023!

Yellowhawk Tribal Health Center (Yellowhawk) is proudly announcing our first Behavioral Health, peer based phone service to our Yellowhawk community. The Yellowhawk Behavioral Health Community Warm Line is a peer to peer call-in service providing behavioral health support before a crisis develops. The Warm Line is a confidential, free phone service and unlike a crisis line or hotline such as 988, the Warm Line is not intended for emergency situations. This new opportunity will be active beginning December 15, 2023.

“Yellowhawk investigated different avenues other communities have put in place for similar services. Community members voiced a desire to have a grass roots support system for afterhours support and we knew our staff were committed to our community, so we made it happen,” stated Cindy Cecil, Yellowhawk Behavioral Health Director. “Our staff are trained in a variety of modalities, and most recently took a 988 crisis de-escalation training in October, they are pumped this vision is finally a reality!”

Our Yellowhawk Warm Line will be staffed by our very own Sober Transitional Housing (STH) staff. It is important individuals calling know they are talking to people with personal experience with behavioral health disorders. Staff will use their lived experiences to better understand and support callers, offer conversation, emotional support and information on local substance use and mental health services, and other community services if needed. “The Warm Line is designed to help fill in a gap in our behavioral health services, these Warm Lines are all across the state and nation – when a person is struggling and needs someone to talk to – they can call our team. A few examples might be a relationship break up, struggling to stay substance free, the loss of a pet or loved one, or even they just had a bad day and need someone to listen. It is important to know our team can help provide peer support to help prevent a situation from escalating to a crisis” said Cecil.

According to the American Psychiatric Association, a study observing the role of warm lines in the mental health recovery process over three years concluded that the warm line provided a useful service and users reported improvements, including a decrease in use of crisis services and increase in community integration. The researchers determined that nonclinical services like peer-run warm lines can play in important role in the behavioral health recovery process. Another study looked at the effects of warm lines, determining they are effective at all hours, but keeping warm lines available after business hours and throughout the night offers support services not easily accessible which can aid with loneliness, symptom management, and the process of recovery.

The Warm Line can be reached by calling 541.969.0010 beginning December 15, 2023, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year.

The Warm Line is NOT intended to replace 911 or 988. If you are experiencing a medical emergency call 911 or go to the nearest hospital. If you experiencing a behavioral health emergency such as suicidality please call 988 or go the nearest hospital. If you have questions about the Warm Line, please contact Yellowhawk Behavioral Health Director, Cindy Cecil at 541.240.8684.