988 – A lifeline for your members and you

We have experienced compounding damage to our collective mental health in the last few years. If we were looking for a silver lining with all of the disruption and trauma, it would be normalizing mental health challenges in the workplace. We know that our members may be facing many of these challenges as well. As credit unions, it is essential to do our part to support the health of both our staff and our members.

According to a survey by HBR, 50% percent of Millennials and 75% of Gen Zers had previously left roles for mental health reasons, both voluntarily and involuntarily.* While many organizations have become diligent in introducing mental health support programs and options for staff, the country has also been doing its part to help streamline solutions for emergent mental health care. 

Introducing 988

Dialing or texting “988” is a new and easy-to-remember way to connect directly to compassionate, accessible care and support for anyone experiencing mental health-related distress – whether thoughts of suicide, mental health, substance-use crisis or any other kind of emotional distress. The 988 hotline can also be used for those worried about a loved one in need of crisis support. 

Sharing 988

Sharing the 988 can be as simple as hanging in-branch information for members and staff, sharing on social media, or adding a small section to your newsletter. 

You can find the full 988 toolkit here.

As the new system is launched, now is a perfect time to consider what your credit union can do to join the conversation around mental health. I’d encourage all credit union leaders to ask where they can help – and the perfect first step is sharing the 988 resources with staff and members alike. What better way to demonstrate “people helping people,” than providing resources for life-changing mental health support.

*https://hbr.org/2019/10/research-people-want-their-employers-to-talk-about-mental-health