People who text MN to 741741 will be connected with a counselor who will help defuse the crisis and connect the texter to local resources. Crisis Text Line is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
In Minnesota and across the nation, text suicide response services have been successful in helping people in need. Texting is the preferred way to communicate for many people — especially youth — and it is important to reach people where they are at when they are contemplating suicide or in crisis.
Crisis Text Line, a non-profit that has offered this service nationally since 2013, will be the state’s sole provider for this service. Crisis Text Line handles 50,000 messages per month and over 20 million messages since 2013 from across the U.S., connecting people to local resources in their community. Crisis Counselors at Crisis Text Line are dedicated, trained and supervised volunteers from around the United States.
Kanabec County Community Health has recently contracted with Carlton County to provide a Regional Suicide Prevention Coordinator in Kanabec, Isanti, Mille Lacs, Pine and Chisago Counties. Coordinator services include providing awareness and education of suicide prevention and access to the statewide text message suicide response service, working to increase knowledge and awareness of the warning signs of suicide and how to connect individuals in crisis with assistance and care, partnering with local mental health facilities, medical providers, school counselors, juvenile justice, probation offers, and county providers to provide trainings, information and materials.
If you or someone you know would like more information about the Crisis Text Line and/or suicide prevention education please contact Patti Miller at patti.miller@co.kanabec.mn.us or (320) 679-6321.