Text-based crisis line expands in Lake County
A suburban hotline service that uses text messaging to help teens in crisis is expanding its reach to help more kids.
The Text-A-Tip program launched in Lake Bluff and Lake Forest in 2014 and spread to McHenry County in August. As of Wednesday, it's available to anyone in Lake County, officials announced at a news conference in Waukegan.
"This will, without a doubt, save lives," Lake County State's Attorney Mike Nerheim said.
Text-A-Tip allows kids who are worried about bullying, family problems, drugs or other issues to get help by sending anonymous texts. Licensed health professionals will respond to most texts within minutes and offer assistance.
In life-threatening or criminal situations, the professionals will notify police or other emergency officials.
To get help, text the phrase "LAKECO" to 274637. The program is aimed at teens, but anyone in Lake County can use the service.
In McHenry County, people needing help can text "MCHELP" to the same number.
The service is available around the clock. The Lake County response team consists of employees from Barrington Behavioral Health and Wellness and representatives from the Child, Adolescent and Family Recovery Center in Lake Bluff.
A Hoffman Estates branch of the Child Adolescent and Family Recovery Center handles texts from people in McHenry County.
The system was created by a Lake Forest nonprofit group called LEAD, which is an acronym for Linking Efforts Against Drugs, following several teen suicides on the North Shore.
The effort is expanding in Lake County thanks to a $27,500 funding boost from the county board. The Lake County Health Department and local high schools will help promote the expanded effort, officials said.
"I love this program because it provides immediate assistance, which is necessary in a crisis situation," said county Commissioner Carol Calabresa, a Libertyville Republican who championed the project.
Since it launched last year, Text-A-Tip has received thousands of texts from hundreds of users, LEAD Executive Director Andy Duran said.
Anonymity has been a key component, something teens requested when the group started looking for ways to help kids in crisis, Duran said.
A computer program cloaks a caller's phone number to keep the text anonymous.
LEAD is looking to expand the service to Cook County and nationwide. It will launch in Riverside, California, in November, Duran said.