Wellness & Well-being Highlights June 30th
Wellness & Well-being Highlights
for the
Week of June 30, 2025
This week’s edition of our Worker Wellness & Well-being blog looks at the rise in our nation’s gun violence—to calculating your body’s hydration level—to how countries rank regarding Work-Life Balance. This week I would like to take a closer look at a recent—and more than likely disastrous—cut to the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline.
Allow me to provide some context. What started out as the (10-digit) National Suicide Prevention Lifeline 20 years ago, morphed into the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline around five years ago…with bi-partisan support in DC.
The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline has existed since 2005. In 2020, during his first term, Trump signed legislation designating 988 as the new lifeline number by 2022. That legislation required 988 to provide LGBTQ youth and young adults who call the line with access to “specially trained staff and partner organizations,” noting that queer and trans youth “are more than 4 times more likely to contemplate suicide than their peers, with 1 in 5 LGBTQ youth and more than 1 in 3 transgender youth reporting attempting suicide.”[1]
As noted, the 988 system allowed callers to select counselors who more closely matched their needs. For instance, Press 1 for Veterans; Press 2 for Spanish; and Press 3 for LQBTQ+. Below is an excerpt from a recent interview with AFSP’s Chief Medical Officer.
Like all marginalized populations that have experienced historical and present-day discrimination, LGBTQ+ individuals can experience mistrust or harm when interacting with general mental health systems—related to any number of actions like misgendering, making assumptions, or overt discrimination. 988 Press 3’s specialized counselors are trained in the LGBTQ+ experience and include identity-affirming, trauma-informed approaches, which creates a trusting space for these individuals, which affords more authentic connection, more openness, and perhaps receptivity to the counselor’s expressions of support and recommendations.
In the first year alone, 280,000 LGBTQ+ crisis contacts were served through The Trevor Project’s participation in 988, demonstrating an unmet demand for identity-specific services. Without trusted crisis support, LGBTQ+ youth are more likely to avoid reaching out for help, which may lead to worse mental health outcomes.
Transgender youth face exceptionally high risk. Approximately 26% of trans youth attempted suicide in the past year, compared to 5% to 11% among cisgender youth. What’s more, research has linked anti-trans legislation to a 7% to 72% increase in suicide attempts by trans youth, which is especially concerning given the 988 Press 3 service is ending alongside escalating anti-trans policies and restrictions on gender‑affirming care in 26 states.[2]
So, once again, this nation is at a crossroads. While so-called “Christian leaders” in DC manipulate language to de-humanize others in need of help, those needs do not merely vanish into thin air. To this end, The Trevor Project stands ready to fill this gap in services for the LGBTQ+ community. If you or someone you know seeks assistance, PLEASE visit www.thetrevorproject.org/get-help/. And, in the meantime, I highly recommend that you take a couple of minutes to view the related CBS News story below.[3]
Please check out the rest of this week’s blog: https://moworksinitiative.org/category/worker-wellness-news/
[3] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=od5r-I4wJnU
AFSP on Loss of LGBTQ+ Access to 988
Heat: Protecting Your Mind & Body
Young Adults / Climate Change / Emotions
US Aging Population & Immigration Growth
Rising Teacher Retirements Stress School Districts
Builders’ Liability / Scaffolding / NY
Canada / Legal Obligations / Digital Platforms
Leaders & Workplace Uncertainty
New Grads / College Value’s / Job Market
Young Adults Cut Back Spending
Judge Halts Job Corps Shutdown
Deportations Impact on US Job Growth
Upcoming webinars, etc.:
STL / ICE Raids / Rapid Response (7/9)
Missouri Assoc of Addiction Professionals Conference (7/17)
NOTE: The links provided above are for informational purposes only. None of these serve as a substitute for medical advice one should obtain from his/her own primary care physician and/or mental health professional. Please contact jgaal@moworks.org with related questions or comments.
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